Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews, which is all about sharing the books that you’ve acquired in the past week!
Today on my blog I’m stacking the shelves with all the books I’ve acquired since Christmas so this my three-week book haul and most of these books were included in my TBR update in my last weekly wrap-up so my TBR hasn’t got out of control!
Here are the books that I’ve bought since the end of 2017:
The Standing Chandelier by Lionel Shriver
I’m a big fan of Lionel Shriver so when I spotted this novella on Amazon at the start of the month I couldn’t resist downloading it. I’m hoping to make time to read this soon, and with it being short it should be fairly easy to squeeze in between other books.
Synopsis:
When Weston Babansky receives an extravagant engagement present from his best friend (and old flame) Jillian Frisk, he doesn’t quite know what to make of it – or how to get it past his fiancée. Especially as it’s a massive, handmade, intensely personal sculpture that they’d have to live with forever.
As the argument rages about whether Jillian’s gift was an act of pure platonic generosity or something more insidious, battle lines are drawn…
Can men and women ever be friends? Just friends?
The Kill (Maeve Kerrigan 5) by Jane Casey
I already have the first four books in this series on my TBR and it was in my plan to start reading the series this year so when the other books in the series went on offer earlier this month I couldn’t resist snapping them up.
Synopsis:
When a police officer is found shot dead in his car, DC Maeve Kerrigan and DI Josh Derwent take on the investigation. But nothing about the case prepares them for what happens next: a second policeman dies . . . and then another . . .
The Metropolitan Police struggle to carry out their usual duties, but no one knows where or how this cop killer will strike again. While London disintegrates into lawlessness Maeve’s world starts to fall apart too. For if the police can’t keep themselves safe, how can they protect anyone else?
After the Fire (Maeve Kerrigan 6) by Jane Casey
Synopsis:
After a fire rips through a North London tower block, two bodies are found locked in an 11th floor flat. But is the third victim that ensures the presence of detective Maeve Kerrigan and the murder squad. It appears that controversial MP Geoff Armstrong, trapped by the fire, chose to jump to his death rather than wait for rescue. But what was such a right wing politician doing in the deprived, culturally diverse Maudling Estate?
As Maeve and her senior colleague, Derwent, pick through the wreckage, they uncover the secret world of the 11th floor, where everyone seems to have something to hide…
The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
I’ve seen lots of good reviews of this book on blogs that I enjoy so I couldn’t resist buying a copy. It does sound like such a compulsive read and I hope to get to it soon.
Synopsis:
When you read this book, you will make many assumptions.
You will assume you are reading about a jealous wife and her obsession with her replacement.
You will assume you are reading about a woman about to enter a new marriage with the man she loves.
You will assume the first wife was a disaster and that the husband was well rid of her.
You will assume you know the motives, the history, the anatomy of the relationships.
Assume nothing.
Here are the books that I’ve received for review since the end of 2017:
Our House by Louise Candlish
I was super excited to receive a surprise copy of this book in the post just before Christmas as I’m a huge Louise Candlish fan! It’s a lovely proof and I’m really looking forward to reading this.
Synopsis:
When Fiona Lawson comes home to find strangers moving into her house, she’s sure there’s been a mistake. She and her estranged husband, Bram, have a modern co-parenting arrangement: bird’s nest custody, where each parent spends a few nights a week with their two sons at the prized family home to maintain stability for their children. But the system built to protect their family ends up putting them in terrible jeopardy. In a domino effect of crimes and misdemeanors, the nest comes tumbling down.
Now Bram has disappeared and so have Fiona’s children. As events spiral well beyond her control, Fiona will discover just how many lies her husband was weaving and how little they truly knew each other. But Bram’s not the only one with things to hide, and some secrets are best kept to oneself, safe as houses.
Trying by Emily Phillips
I requested this book on bookbridgr quite a while ago but had forgotten about it so it was a lovely suprise when this gorgeous finished copy arrived in the post over Christmas. I’m planning to read this book soon and will be reviewing it on my blog.
Synopsis:
A hugely funny, searingly honest comedy about to expect when you’re not expecting.
Olivia and Felix are trying for a baby. They even moved to the suburbs in anticipation of their future family. But despite approaching her cycle and their sex life with military precision, there’s still no sign of what felt like the sure next step, whilst friends’ broods seem to be growing by the week. Meanwhile, vying for a promotion at work under the (very attentive) watch of a new boss sends Olivia down a dangerous road of risking it all. Does a happy ever after, she starts to question, even have to include a baby?
The Old You by Louise Voss
This book was a lovely, and very kind, gift from the publisher and I was grateful beyond words as I love Louise Voss’ writing. I bought her first book, To Be Someone, when it was originally published and it remains one of my favourite books. I’ve been a fan ever since do I’m excited to read this one!
Synopsis:
Lynn Naismith gave up the job she loved when she married Ed, the love of her life, but it was worth it for the happy years they enjoyed together. Now, ten years on, Ed has been diagnosed with early-onset dementia, and things start to happen; things more sinister than missing keys and lost words. As some memories are forgotten, others, long buried, begin to surface… and Lynn’s perfect world begins to crumble.
But is it Ed s mind playing tricks, or hers…?
Fault Lines by Doug Johnstone
This was lovely book post from Orenda books and I’m very much looking forward to reading this. I’ve enjoyed other books by the author and this one sounds like it could be his best yet!
Synopsis:
In a reimagined contemporary Edinburgh, in which a tectonic fault has opened up to produce a new volcano in the Firth of Forth, and where tremors are an everyday occurrence, volcanologist Surtsey makes a shocking discovery. On a clandestine trip to The Inch – the new volcanic island – to meet Tom, her lover and her boss, she finds his lifeless body. Surtsey’s life quickly spirals into a nightmare when someone makes contact – someone who claims to know what she’s done…
The Lido by Libby Page
This gorgeous book sounds amazing and I’m thrilled to have received a copy in the post last week.
Synopsis:
Kate is a twenty-six-year-old riddled with anxiety and panic attacks who works for a local paper in Brixton, London, covering forgettably small stories. When she’s assigned to write about the closing of the local lido (an outdoor pool and recreation center), she meets Rosemary, an eighty-six-year-old widow who has swum at the lido daily since it opened its doors when she was a child. It was here Rosemary fell in love with her husband, George; here that she’s found communion during her marriage and since George’s death. The lido has been a cornerstone in nearly every part of Rosemary’s life.
But when a local developer attempts to buy the lido for a posh new apartment complex, Rosemary’s fond memories and sense of community are under threat.
As Kate dives deeper into the lido’s history—with the help of a charming photographer—she pieces together a portrait of the pool, and a portrait of a singular woman, Rosemary. What begins as a simple local interest story for Kate soon blossoms into a beautiful friendship that provides sustenance to both women as they galvanize the community to fight the lido’s closure. Meanwhile, Rosemary slowly, finally, begins to open up to Kate, transforming them both in ways they never knew possible.
The Cactus by Sarah Haywood
This book is so beautiful, my photo in no way does it any justice, and I was very happy to receive a surprise copy in the post last week. It sounds like it’s going to be right up my street and I’m looking forward to curling up one afternoon soon and devouring it!
Synopsis:
People aren’t sure what to make of Susan Green – a prickly independent woman, who has everything just the way she wants it and who certainly has no need for messy emotional relationships.
Family and colleagues find her stand-offish and hard to understand, but Susan makes perfect sense to herself, and that’s all she needs.
At forty-five, she thinks her life is perfect, as long as she avoids her feckless brother, Edward – a safe distance away in Birmingham. She has a London flat which is ideal for one; a job that suits her passion for logic; and a personal arrangement providing cultural and other, more intimate, benefits.
Yet suddenly faced with the loss of her mother and, implausibly, with the possibility of becoming a mother herself, Susan’s greatest fear is being realised: she is losing control.
When she discovers that her mother’s will inexplicably favours her brother, Susan sets out to prove that Edward and his equally feckless friend Rob somehow coerced this dubious outcome. But when problems closer to home become increasingly hard to ignore, she finds help in the most unlikely of places.
The Word For Woman is Wilderness by Abi Andrews
This book was such a surprise when it arrived and I can’t even put into words how excited I was when I opened it. I’d already put this book on my wish list as it sounds amazing and I’m really looking forward to reading this.
Synopsis:
Erin is 19. She’s never really left England, but she has watched Bear Grylls and wonders why it’s always men who get to go on all the cool wilderness adventures. So Erin sets off on a voyage into the Alaskan wilderness, a one-woman challenge to the archetype of the rugged male explorer.
As Erin’s journey takes her through the Arctic Circle, across the entire breadth of the American continent and finally to a lonely cabin in the wilds of Denali, she explores subjects as diverse as the moon landings, the Gaia hypothesis, loneliness, nuclear war, shamanism and the pill.
Forgiveness is Really Strange by Masi Noor and Marina Cantacuzino
I’ve had this book on my wish list for ages but it was always unavailable for purchase so when I spotted it on NetGalley recently I immediately requested it. I’ve already read this one and it was a really powerful graphic non-fiction book. I’ll be reviewing this one soon but in the meantime I definitely recommend this.
Synopsis:
What is forgiveness? What enables people to forgive? Why do we even choose to forgive those who have harmed us? What can the latest psychological research tell us about the nature of forgiveness, its benefits and risks?
This imaginative comic explores the key aspects of forgiveness, asking what it means to forgive and to be forgiven. Witty and intelligent, it answers questions about the health benefits and restorative potential of forgiveness and explains, in easy-to-understand terms, what happens in our brains, bodies and communities when we choose to forgive.
Whistle in the Dark by Emma Healey
I enjoyed Elizabeth is Missing by this author and so when I saw she had a new book coming out I couldn’t resist requesting it on NetGalley. I was really happy to get approved for it and am looking forward to reading it a little bit nearer publication date.
Synopsis:
Jen’s fifteen-year-old daughter goes missing for four agonizing days.
When Lana is found, unharmed, in the middle of the desolate countryside, everyone thinks the worst is over. But Lana refuses to tell anyone what happened, and police draw a blank. The once-happy, loving family return to London where things start to fall apart. Lana begins acting strangely: making secretive phone calls, hiding books under her bed, sleeping with the light on.
As Lana stays stubbornly silent, Jen sets out to solve the mystery behind her daughter’s disappearance herself…
The Fear by C. L. Taylor
I’m a massive fan of C.L. Taylor so there was no way I could resist requesting this book! It sounds like such a great premise so I don’t think it’ll be long before I read this one.
Synopsis:
When Lou Wandsworth ran away to France with her teacher Mike Hughes, she thought he was the love of her life. But Mike wasn’t what he seemed and he left her life in pieces.
Now 32, Lou discovers that he is involved with teenager Chloe Meadows. Determined to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself, she returns home to confront him for the damage he’s caused.
But Mike is a predator of the worst kind, and as Lou tries to bring him to justice, it’s clear that she could once again become his prey…
The Neighbors by Hannah McKinnon
The lovely author contacted me to ask if I’d like to review this book and as the synopsis sounded so good I immediately said yes please. The book’s due out in March so I’m going to wait a little while longer before I start this one but I am really looking forward to it.
Synopsis:
After a night of fun, Abby was responsible for the car crash that killed her beloved brother. It is a sin she can never forgive herself for, so she pushes away the man she loves most, knowing that he would eventually hate her for what she’s done, the same way she hates herself.
Twenty years later, Abby’s husband, Nate, is also living with a deep sense of guilt. He was the driver who first came upon the scene of Abby’s accident, the man who pulled her to safety before the car erupted in flames, the man who could not save her brother in time. It’s this guilt, this regret that binds them together. They understand each other. Or so Nate believes.
In a strange twist of fate, Liam (her old lover—possibly her true soulmate) moves in with his own family next door, releasing a flood of memories that Abby has been trying to keep buried all these years. Abby and Liam, in a complicit agreement, pretend never to have met, yet cannot resist the pull of the past—nor the repercussions of the dark secrets they’ve both been carrying…
The Reunion by Samantha Hayes
I’ve really enjoyed previous novels by this author so I immediately went and downloaded it as soon as Bookouture tweeted that it was available. I’m certain that this won’t be on my TBR pile for very long!
Synopsis:
Then–In charge of her little sister at the beach, Claire allowed Eleanor to walk to the shop alone to buy an ice cream. Placing a coin into her hand, Claire told her to be quick, knowing how much she wanted the freedom. Eleanor never came back.
Now–The time has finally come to sell the family farm and Claire is organising a reunion of her dearest friends, the same friends who were present the day her sister went missing.
When another girl disappears, long-buried secrets begin to surface. One of the group hides the darkest secret of them all…
The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn
I’ve been so keen to get my hands on a copy of this book and yet somehow missed that I’m auto-approved for the publisher on NetGalley and could have downloaded a copy ages ago! Ah well, I’m glad I’ve now spotted it and am going to be reading this very, very soon!
Synopsis:
What did she see?
It’s been ten long months since Anna Fox last left her home. Ten months during which she has haunted the rooms of her old New York house like a ghost, lost in her memories, too terrified to step outside.
Anna’s lifeline to the real world is her window, where she sits day after day, watching her neighbours. When the Russells move in, Anna is instantly drawn to them. A picture-perfect family of three, they are an echo of the life that was once hers.
But one evening, a frenzied scream rips across the silence, and Anna witnesses something no one was supposed to see. Now she must do everything she can to uncover the truth about what really happened. But even if she does, will anyone believe her? And can she even trust herself?
And right before Christmas I won this fabulous signed book from The Pool:
Still Me by Jojo Moyes
Synopsis:
Louisa Clark arrives in New York ready to start a new life, confident that she can embrace this new adventure and keep her relationship with Ambulance Sam alive across several thousand miles. She is thrown into the world of the superrich Gopniks: Leonard and his much younger second wife, Agnes, and a never-ending array of household staff and hangers-on. Lou is determined to get the most out of the experience and throws herself into her job and New York life within this privileged world.
Before she knows what’s happening, Lou is mixing in New York high society, where she meets Joshua Ryan, a man who brings with him a whisper of her past. In Still Me, as Lou tries to keep the two sides of her world together, she finds herself carrying secrets–not all her own–that cause a catastrophic change in her circumstances. And when matters come to a head, she has to ask herself Who is Louisa Clark? And how do you reconcile a heart that lives in two places?
So, that’s all of my new books from the past month (aside from my Christmas book haul, which you can find here if you’d like to see it). Have you bought any new books recently? Tell me all in the comments below, or if you have a stacking the shelves post on your blog feel free to post the link below too.
My weekly wrap up post will be on my blog tomorrow so please look out for that.
Since their youngest son, Teddy, was diagnosed with a life-defining illness, Anna has been fighting: against the friends who don’t know how to help; against the team assigned to Teddy’s care who constantly watch over Anna’s parenting; and against the impulse to put Teddy above all else – including his older brother, the watchful, sensitive Isaac.
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