Stacking The Shelves, Vol. 25: March 2016 Haul, Part 2

/ saraletourneau

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Stacking The Shelves is a weekly event hosted by Tynga’s Reviews that shares the books (both physical and virtual) that you recently purchased, borrowed from a fellow reader or the library, won from a giveaway, or received as gifts. Stacking The Shelves will post on Saturdays as new books are added to my shelves.

In last week’s Stacking The Shelves, I’d mentioned that I’d expected to do only one STS entry this month. Then, after the fairy novels and new releases had arrived in the mail, I spent a Saturday on Cape Cod to see the house my parents are renovating and do some birthday shopping for a friend. And during said shopping, I bought more books, even though I’d told myself not to. (*face turns strawberry red*)

So, here’s Batch #2, the books I bought at the Market Street Bookshop in Mashpee, MA, along with a couple extras. Make sure you stop at MSB if you visit Mashpee Commons. Their selection is fantastic (especially in science fiction and fantasy, both adult and YA), and the staff is extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and well-read. 🙂

From the Market Street Bookshop…

STS March 2016 Pt 2_2

From top to bottom:

Sabriel (Abhorsen, Book #1) by Garth Nix (YA Fantasy): My first Garth Nix book! I’ve heard amazing things about his Abhorsen series, so it only makes sense to start at the beginning. 😉

Dragonflight (Dragonriders of Pern, Book#1) by Anne McCaffrey (Fantasy / Science Fiction): I enjoy catching up on classics when I have time. The Dragonriders of Pern series has been on my wishlist for a while, but it’s been really hard to track down in stores. (Then again, Dragonflight is almost 50 years old.) So, when I saw the book at MSB, I knew better than to pass it by!

In The Hand of the Goddess and The Woman Who Rides Like a Man (Song of the Lioness, Books #2 and #3) by Tamora Pierce (YA Epic Fantasy): I’ve already read the first and final installments of this series. (Yes, I know, I read the books out of order – shame on me!) But like Dragonflight, these two books have been tough to find in stores, so I snatched these up as soon as they caught my eye. I might have to make binge-finishing this series (and re-reading Lioness Rampant) a priority in 2017.

The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin (Science Fiction): Ditto on the “hard to track down” bit. But whenever I visit a bookstore – be it Barnes & Noble or an indie like Market Street – I always look for any UKLG books I don’t have yet. I love her work so, so much, so I was thrilled to finally find The Lathe of Heaven.

Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee (YA Historical Fiction): This was one of the most talked-about YA historical fiction novels of last year. It combines the American West / Oregon Trail setting with the “girl disguised as a boy” trope. It sounds like Rae Carson’s Walk On Earth A Stranger, but the comparisons end there. Under a Painted Sky features two disguised girls, one Chinese and the other a runaway slave. So, it offers diverse characters and a friendship between two females. Very much looking forward to this one.

Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin, Book #1) by Robin LaFevers (YA Historical Fantasy-Romance): Another book I’ve read about through the speculative fiction and YA book blog grapevines. It’s set in medieval France, and the protagonist joins a convent of assassin nuns to avoid an arranged marriage. That sentence alone makes you want to read it too, right? 😉

… And A Few Extras

Big Magic cover

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert (Nonfiction / Inspirational / Creativity): I haven’t read Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat Pray Love yet, but a friend who’s a big fan of hers let me borrow Gilbert’s latest book. And oh my GOODNESS, I loved it! I’ll say more in my review for next month’s Recent Reads – but if you’re looking for advice or motivation on how to embrace your creativity and live a more fulfilling life, Big Magic gives you exactly that. 😀

City of Light cover

City of Light (Outcast Series, Book #1) by Keri Arthur (Urban Fantasy): I already covered City of Light in an STS post back in January, when I had bought a copy but then returned it after winning Bibliosanctum’s giveaway for the book. The giveaway copy has since arrived, so now I can say (again) that I’m looking forward to reading this futuristic fantasy story with demons, shape-shifters, and artificially lit cities struggling to keep the darkness at bay.

Criminal Magic cover

A Criminal Magic by Lee Kelly (Historical Fantasy): I’ve had the strangest luck with book giveaways this year – but I won’t complain! A Criminal Magic just arrived yesterday thanks to Fantasy Literature. It’s set during the Roaring Twenties / Prohibition Era, when magic is made illegal instead of alcohol; and some SF&F sites are already calling this one of the best books of 2016. So, I’m really excited to check this out for myself now.

What books did you recently buy or acquire? Have you read or are planning to read of the books discussed above? 

24 thoughts on “Stacking The Shelves, Vol. 25: March 2016 Haul, Part 2”

  1. One of the problems being in India is that most fantasy books need to be imported and cost a fortune. Even the libraries are not well-stacked. I usually end up buying the Kindle edition.
    I’ve read the ‘Protector of the Small’ series by Tamora Pierce and I’ve wanted to read more books by her ever since. Even I’ve heard great things about Garth Nix. I really should pick up a copy of Sabriel next time I’m shopping for books.
    Although just about everyone recommends UKLG’s books to me, I’ve never gotten around to reading them. I’ll fix that as soon as my tests get over.
    Thanks for introducing me to them all. I’ll go through the previous posts in this series and also watch out for the new ones. 🙂

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    • Another blogger from India has mentioned that to me before, and not just regarding fantasy lit. Is it because there aren’t many publishers in India? Or that books in general are expensive in your part of the world? I don’t know only because I haven’t been to India and don’t know many people who have lived there or currently live there, so it’s very new to me.

      I’ll have to look into Pierce’s Protector of the Small series. The Lioness Quartet is the first of her series that I’m reading, but I definitely want to branch out to her others once I’m done. What is Protector of the Small about?

      If you ever need UKLG recommendations, I’m always happy to offer them! 🙂 And thanks for your comments, too!

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      • Books by Indian authors are reasonably priced, but if I want to read an American book, it’s going to cost me nothing less than a thousand rupees. 😦 But hopefully with a growing reader base in India, they’ll become cheaper.
        The ‘Protector of the Small’ is about a girl named Keladry who trains to become a knight after a law is passed that allows females in her country to do so. It follows the challenges she faces and also features Alanna in a small but pivotal role.
        Yes, I’d love some recommendations! 🙂

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      • Gotcha. Have you heard of The Book Depository? I don’t know if it ships to India, but I know it offers books from all over the world at reasonable prices, and usually with a minimal (if none at all) shipping fee.

        I’ll have to keep an eye out for any Protector of the Small books. That sounds like something I might like. 😉

        Let’s see…. For UKLG recommendations, if you want fantasy, then start with A Wizard of Earthsea. It’s the first Earthsea novel, and definitely a series where you should start at the beginning. From science fiction, I’ve only read The Left Hand of Darkness so far, but I really enjoyed it. A very haunting story about humans and aliens finding common ground despite stark differences in physiology, beliefs, customs, etc.

        I also recommend Lavinia. It’s a retelling of Virgil’s The Aeneid, from the perspective of the title character, the wife of Aeneas. So, I guess you could call it mythological fiction, but it’s just as wonderful as the rest of UKLG’s work. 🙂

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  2. One of the original Dragonrider books and an Ursula leGuin classic – niiiice:). I’ve heard a fair amount about Garth Nix and Tamora Pierce, but not read either of these authors, so I shall be interested to hear how you get on with them.

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  4. Great haul! I’m so happy I stopped here because Gave Mercy has been on my TBR list and you’ve reminded me to move it up! Your description is what did it. I did happen to read Eat, Pray, Love many years ago and I enjoyed it so I think I’ll give Big Magic a go since you liked it so much. Hope you enjoy your books; here’s ours: Bibliojunkies Happy reading! ~ Bel

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  6. This book haul made me so excited! I have Sabriel too and can’t wait to read it and I’d love to read McCaffrey’s books. The Song of the Lioness books are some of my favorites. Lol that you read the first and the last. I’d like to collect all of Pierce’s books. And I’m on Gilbert’s book now.

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    • Yeah, I know. *lol* It was bad enough that I read Lioness Rampant first, so I already know how the series end. But now I can properly finish the rest of it, and then refresh my memory by re-reading LR once I read the others.

      Great! I hope you like Big Magic. 🙂

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  7. I’m excited to see what you think of “Under a Painted Sky” and “A Criminal Magic.” And of course, “Sabriel,” since it’s one of my favorite books in the history of the world. (The fact that I mention it all the time, and have Abhorsen in 90% of my usernames – didn’t make it obvious at all). You really have a lot of great looking reads this month!

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  8. I’m a huge Anne McCaffrey fan, from back when I was a teen and first discovered fantasy, so I hope you enjoy Dragonflight. And I’m dying to read Garth Nixon too! Awesome book haul, enjoy!

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