Stacking the Shelves #3

Stacking the Shelves is all about sharing the books you recently acquired, be it a physical or virtual copy, a book borrow from the library or purchased. This is a weekly meme that is hosted by Tynga's Reviews, so be sure to check there on Saturdays and see what everyone else has added to their shelves!

This is a continuation of my ALA midwinter haul from January 26th. Plus a few others I received in the mail.


Charm & Strange / Stephanie Kuehn / June 13, 2013

I don’t know much about this one, but I have been reading some great things about it. It centers on a boy, Andrew, who has been exiled to a boarding school in Vermont by his family. He seems to have a bit of a split personality which suggests some mental illness. There are horrors in his past that have come, as it seems, from the hands of his relatives. I am very excited to read this, it sounds pretty great. 

Cold Calls / Charles Benoit / April 1, 2014

This is a story about three teens who are blackmailed into bullying their classmates by and unknown voice on their phones. I am interested in finding out what secrets they have that are so terrible, they need to be covered up. 

The Collection / Shannon Stoker / February 4, 2014

AHHHH! I am sooooo excited for this. The Collection is the sequel to TheRegistry a book that I happened upon at a local used book stor last year. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked the first book and I really can’t wait to find out what is happening with Mia, Andrew, and Carter. The story is set in a the US, where at a certain age girls are placed in The Registry, an online catalogue (if I remember correctly) for men to choose them as wives. This follows the events of the first book and the repercussions that Mia now has to face. 

A Creature of Moonlight / Rebecca Hahn / April 6, 2014

While growing up, Marni has ignored the voices she has heard in the woods that seem to call to her from among the trees. These same voices stole her mother from her and never returned her. Hiding in plain sight is no longer working for Marni and she has been getting noticed as the rightful heir to the throne, not as the flower grower she was hoping to hide as. She now has a choice on whether or not to claim her birthright or to join a father she has never know, who happens to be a dragon. Magic forests, moving trees, evil kings, and dragon dads? Yes, please.

Cruel Beauty / Rosamund Hodge / January 28, 2014

I have been reading so much about this book recently, some good and some bad. But, with a premise like this I will definitely be checking it out for myself. A retelling of the fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast, this story centers on Nyx, a young girl who has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom for her whole life. She has also been training to kill him for the past seventeen years. She has been raised to despise him, but is that what is going to happen? Will she be able to complete her mission and if so, with her life intact? I am so ready to find out, I will definitely be reading this one soon!

Firstborn / Lorie Ann Grover / January 28, 2014

Tiadone is a firstborn female in a world where firstborn babies who are not male get left outside the community to die. To save her life, her parents choose to raise her as a male and find a way to suppress her feminine traits. Feelings for her male best friend and signs of evil have her believing that maybe see his the one whose purpose in life is to stand up to the rulers that are controlling her community. I am interested in seeing how they are able to suppress her femininity and how aging and her hormones play into the story. There have been some mixed reviews and ratings, but I will be giving it a try for myself. 

The Girl in 6E / A.R. Torre / July 8, 2014

Marketed as “perfect for fans of Dexter” I am curious to see what becomes of this story. From what I gather, from the very brief description, is that it is about a young woman who has isolated herself for three years because she was constantly thinking of killing. In this day in age, internet and webcams keep her connected to society and what she sees on the cam one night, may make her venture back out into the world that she has hidden from, or a girl’s life may be in danger. 

The Good Luck of Right Now / Matthew Quick / February 1, 2014

This one was handed to me as I was walking through the Harper booth. I knew Matthew Quick’s new book was coming out soon, but I had thought that it wasn’t until later in the year. Each chapter is written as a (kind of) letter to Richard Gere, who the main characters mother loved. It is about a 38 year old man trying to find family and meaning in life after his mother dies. It sounds like it will be a quirky, meaningful read.

Graduation Day / Joelle Charbonneau / June 17, 2014

I was so excited when I snagged this. I was perusing the Houghton Mifflin booth and overheard a publicist talking to a few young ladies about the series. They had never read any of the books (I have read the first and have the second on my shelf, waiting to be read) but she whipped out a copy of this for each of them anyway. So, of course after they took their leave I went right up and started talking to her about the series and she was very happy to give me a copy. Day made. This is the third and final book in the Testing series. The series follows a girl, Cia, as she tries to pass the very selective and dangerous test that will allow her to attend University. This is set in a dystopian world and I really, really enjoyed the first book. 

Great / Sara Benincasa / April 8, 2014

This is a contemporary retelling of The Great Gatsby following main character Naomi as she spends the summer in the East Hamptons with her mother. She soon becomes entangled in a web of lies and deception brought on by her neighbor Jacinta and the senator’s daughter Delilah. Naomi must decide how far she is willing to go before breaking free of the downward spiral, if she can at all. 

These next three are just some that I have gotten in the mail recently. Thank you Macmillan, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, and Spiegel & Grau!

The Midnight Witch / Paula Brackston / March 25, 2014

A historical fiction novel that centers on Lilith, the daughter of the sixth Duke of Radnor. She is the most sought after woman in London and also happens to be a witch. After the death of her father she has obligations to become the Head Witch of the Lazarus Coven and marry fellow witch and fiancé Viscount Louis Harcourt. That is until she meets Bram, an artist and not a member of her class, who she cannot stay away from. 

Unforgotten / Jessica Brody / February 25, 2014

This is the sequel to Unremembered which I recently read and loved. I was such a fast paced story that it had me enthralled from the very beginning. When Sera is found floating among the wreckage of a plane crash in the middle of the ocean, she is thought to be the only survivor. Events unfold and tell a different story, one that had me guessing until the very end. I am very happy to have received the second book in this series. 

The Weight of Blood / Laura McHugh / March 11, 2014

This debut novel follows Lucy Dane as she investigates the disappearance of her friend. The young woman soon begins to suspect that it might be connected to the disappearance of her mother years earlier and that her own family may be involved. Set deep in the Ozark Mountain town of Henbane, this story reminds me of Winter’s Bone which I loved. I am excited to delve back into that world.