Welcome to Over-Booked, where I share my latest and greatest book acquisitions! I’m linking up with Stacking the Shelves over at Tynga’s Reviews and The Sunday Post at The Caffeinated Book Reviewer.
I seem to have a larger haul than usual. It’s been three weeks since my last book haul post, and since then I’ve bought a few new books. I also had some “hanging out there” NetGalley requests come through all at once, and as far as physical review copies, most of these came unsolicited. I’m grateful to all the publishers and authors who sent them my way!
Physical books for review:
I feel like karma came through for me. A few months ago I gave away my ARC of Angel Mage by Garth Nix as part of my Comic Con prize pack, but I received a surprise finished copy from the publisher! I’m excited to read this, I hear it’s really good.
Stormrise by Jillian Boehme was also a surprise. I request it quite a while ago but the publication date came and went and I just assumed I wasn’t getting a copy. But then this finished copy showed up! Even though it’s going to be hard to fit in my schedule now, I’m definitely going to try.
Same story with The Last Astronaut by David Wellington. I think I requested this back in June, lol. I guess better late than never?
I was thrilled (and also surprised) to get Master of Sorrows by Justin T. Call, which is being published in the U.S. by Blackstone Publishing. It’s already out in the UK and has great reviews, so I’m very much looking forward to this!
And yet ANOTHER surprise! I told you this was the week of surprises:-) Tor surprised me with The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood, a fantasy debut coming out next February. I’m definitely going to prioritize this!
And yes, I requested How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse by K. Eason, and I’m so happy to have this lovely finished copy. I’m hoping to read this by the end of the month!
An interesting surprise from Gallery Books showed up. Two Star Trek books: Star Trek The Next Generation: Collateral Damage by David Mack and Star Trek The Motion Picture: A Novel by Gene Roddenberry. These are both October releases, which I know I won’t have time to read this month, but I am curious!
And a big heavy surprise from Tor, The Name of All Things by Jenn Lyons, book #2 in her A Chorus of Dragons series. I still need to catch up with the first book, is anyone reading this series?
From Tor Teen came yet another surprise, The Infinite Noise by Lauren Shippen. I’m very curious about this too, and time permitting, I’d love to check it out.
And finally, a lovely finished copy of The Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith arrived, and I will probably be reading this by the time this post goes live.
Big thanks to Tor Books, Tor Teen, Wunderkind PR, Orbit Books, 47North, Blackstone Publishing, DAW Books, and Gallery Books!
Digital books for review:
Big thanks to Caitlin, who alerted me that all the Macmillan titles on Edelweiss were on “Download” mode! I have no idea why this happened AGAIN, but you can bet I rushed over there and grabbed two Tor titles I’m dying to read: The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune and The Bard’s Blade by Brian D. Anderson. Let us not speak about the fact that I requested The Bard’s Blade a few weeks ago and my request was declined. But today I downloaded it! (If I had an evil laugh, I would insert it here).
The Companions by Katie M. Flynn is being compared to Station Eleven, but I’m seeing some mixed reviews already so I’m a little nervous. Still, I think this is a brilliant idea, so we shall see…
The God Game by Danny Tobey sounds like fun. A story that revolves around a video game called G.O.D., it sort of reminds me a bit of The Hunger Games. I can’t wait!
It’s been a while since I’ve read anything from Unsung Stories, a small UK press that publishes very high quality and cool SFF. Their latest is called Always North by Vicki Jarrett, and not only am I in love with the artwork on the cover, but wow, this sounds great. It takes place in the Arctic, and revolves around a crew who is illegally searching for the last source of oil on the planet. I think this would be perfect for Sci Fi Month, so look for coverage next month.
Foul is Fair by Hannah Capin isn’t my usual genre, but I am in love with the cover and the title! And I think this might be a Shakespeare retelling of some kind? Maybe Macbeth?
Highfire by Eoin Colfer is Colfer’s first foray into adult fantasy (seems to be a trend with YA/MG authors lately…) I honestly didn’t expect to get approved for this, but I’m glad I did! It sounds pretty funny.
I agreed to read Dreams of Lake Drukka & Exhumation by Mike Thorn, part of Demain Publishing’s Short Sharp Shocks collection, although I’m really swamped with review books and really don’t have time. But this is a short story collection with only two stories, and I’ve already read them and will most likely get a review up tomorrow. Check back!
Big thanks to Gallery/Scout Press, Unsung Stories, St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, Harper Perennial, Mike Thorn, and Demain Publishing.
Purchased:
My super pretty UK copy of Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff showed up! This is the Goldsboro edition with black sprayed, starry edges!
I do not buy lots of books these days, but I did preorder a couple that I’m very excited to read. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett is a signed copy, pre-ordered from Ann’s bookstore Parnassus Books. I also couldn’t resist buying The Grace Year by Kim Liggett. I’ve heard some mixed reviews, but I’m a fan of Kim’s and I feel like this is her break-out book. Has anyone read this yet?
Finally, I saw The Thorn and the Blossom by Theodora Goss on Lisa’s blog and immediately bought a copy for myself. Check out her post, she took a nice photo of the book opened up, it’s a double sided story and looks pretty cool!
Wow, quite a haul! I have a copy of The Last Astronaut too, but haven’t started it yet. It looks good! I’m so glad you got The Thorn & the Blossom — hope you enjoy!
It’s such a cool book, and I’m looking forward to reading it:-)
How do you ever get to all those books? Such a great haul! I have The Last Astronaut and The Vine Witch on my Kindle. Since they are not review books for me it may be a while before I get to them, but could not resist them when they went on sale. I also bought Rory Thorne for the library. I’m sure I will hear all about it before I get a chance to read it!
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Ha ha, well I don’t get to all of them, especially the ones I don’t request. I’m hoping to read Rory Thorne next:-)
Wow, that last David Wellington I read was Positive, about 4 years ago. Glad he’s still around.
I’ve been haunting the mailbox, but no sigh of The Unspoken Name or The Name of all Things yet. 🙂
Definitely jealous of TNG Collateral Damage – nice score!
Good luck with your mail box next week!
I love the look of The House on the Cerulean Sea and The Vine Witch… But as ever, all your haul looks amazing, Tammy! Very happy reading:)).
Thanks Sarah, I’m really enjoying the Vine Witch so far!
Only heard of a few of those! I am so curious about The Vine Witch!
I’m reading The Vine Witch right now and it’s really good!
That UK copy of Darkdawn is absolutely gorgeous. Very much interested in reading your thoughts on The God Game.
I hope The God Game is good, so far it seems to have good reviews:-)
Wow! Great haul! I hope you have the time to read Collateral Damage. I’d love to see your review.
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Me too! It’s pretty short, and hey Picard is on the cover!!
I think The Bard’s Blade looks quite interesting, but they also declined my request so… I look forward to your thoughts on it. Also I love that edition of Darkdawn!
Oh no, sorry about that! It may be that Tor doesn’t usually approve bloggers on Edelweiss, I’ve had that happen with some other publishers there who only approve book sellers and librarians. I have better luck with NetGalley/Tor approvals.
Happy to help spread the word about free books! 🙂 As for Ruin of Kings, I liked it overall, though I definitely had some issues with it. It was definitely divisive earlier this year, one of those “you either loved it or you hated it.” I’ve got an eARC of the sequel I’m hoping to check out later this month.
Caitlin G. recently posted…Review: THE THRONE OF THE FIVE WINDS by S.C. Emmett
I’ll admit this series isn’t a priority, but I’m glad to have the books when I decide to tackle it.
Another amazing collection of books, most of which are new to me. Can’t wait to hear what you think of the ones you get through. From this group I’m most interested in Master of Sorrows and The Bard’s Blade. Always in the mood for a good fantasy.
Me too, Todd. And both of these sound like good ones:-)
LOL I got those Star Trek books too which I thought was so random – but hey, good for November Sci-Fi month maybe! 😀
Yeah, if anything I’ll read Collateral Damage, not sure about the movie tie in, though…
The God Game sounds intriguing: there is something fascinating in a mix between technology and (I think) horror…
On another track, I thought that the new Star Trek book might give us some inkling of what happened to Picard prior to the events in the upcoming series, but it doesn’t seem to be so. My curiosity will have to wait… 😀
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Yes, the fact that Picard is on the cover definitely makes me want to prioritize it:-)
Epic haul! The Unspoken Name and Rory Thorne are both on my wishlists, they sound so good! I enjoyed reading Master of Sorrows earlier in the year, so that’s cool. The Vine Witch has such a pretty cover, I love that aesthetic *makes notes for instagram* and goshdarn, Macmillan was on download mode?? can’t believe I missed it, they take sadistic pleasure in rejecting me over and over, I’d’ve loved to snag an ARC or two!
I usually get rejected by Macmillan, not sure what happened with the downloads! Must be a glitch:-)
The Thorn and The Blossom is great, the two-sided, accordion book isn’t a gimmick, it’s part of the story.
Jealous of your Star Trek books, too! Add them to my library requests though.
Oh cool, glad to hear you’ve read The Thorn and the Blossom:-)
So maaaaany books!! Glad to see you receive all these. That edition of Darkdawn sounds sooooo goood! Happy reading! 😀
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I’m pretty sure I now have the whole Goldsboro series of the Nevernight series, time for an Insta photo, lol.
I’m excited for Foul is Fair. I think it is some kind of MacBeth retelling. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on The Grace Year!
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I can’t wait for both of those!
I am perpetually jealous of your book hauls!! But I’m also excited to read your reviews on all of these. The Unspoken Name- I feel like there was something about it that put me off, but it’s coming from Tor which usually makes me want it ASAP… sigh.
I really don’t know much about The Unspoken Name, other than it’s a debut. People are freaking out about it, though:-)
What a great haul! I’m still holding out for Highfire. It sounds like so much fun. I’m also looking forward to the Rory Thorne book. There are just so many good books coming out right now that I’ve actually bought a few physical copies myself so I fully understand.
I’m panicking because I just remembered I’m trying to squeeze in Rory Thorne by the end of the month, in addition to about 20 other books, lol.
I hope you enjoy Master of Sorrows. It looks like Annie (dreamingofcats) did. 🙂 Looking forward to your thoughts.
Thank you for visiting, Justin! Really looking forward to your book
That Master of Sorrows cover is amazing! Angel Mage! Hoping to get a finished copy of that in the mail soon myself. Can’t wait to check that one out. Looks like some great reading ahead of you, Tammy!
Thanks Lisa! I agree, I love the cover of Master of Sorrows:-)
Wow. This is a fantastic haul. I just love looking at these posts. It makes me happy seeing a whole bunch of books that are right up my alley.
Lynn
I’ve read The Ruin of Kings and I LOVED it. I am very excited for the sequel and stoked for you you got a surprise copy!