Friday, January 12, 2018

Stacking the Shelves 2



Stacking the Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, whether it be physical or virtual. You can include books you buy in-store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts, and of course ebooks! To find out more, visit the official launch page.

NetGalley ARCS

This week was super hectic with winter break ending on Sunday. Students came back Tuesday and it is safe to say no one is ready yet! So, my book accumulation was rather slow. I picked up two ARCs on NetGalley from publishers I am auto-approved by.

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I'm always looking for fun ways to introduce kids to non-fiction (big surprise). I found this one, and was psyched to see there are others in the series. It was a fun, informative read that I would love to use in my classroom.

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I am almost never going to turn down a book about paranormal experiences. This was one I was a bit skeptical of at first, because of the use of the pendulum and my unfamiliarity with the way it is supposed to work. Even without that aspect though, this is a really interesting look at a very specific time in our nation's history, and there is some great historical information included about the sites they visit, as well as additional readings available.

I also had two requests approved for books I am interested in.



I am endlessly fascinated by religion. I myself am a Christian, but my quest for knowledge of Judaism and Islam in particular knows no bounds. I think this is largely due to the fact that all three groups worship the same God in very different ways, and sometimes not-so-different ways.

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I'm going to start by saying that I am not a Clinton supporter by any means. I was all-in for Bernie Sanders and I will never regret that for one moment.


However, I do recognize the fact that Clinton as president would be infinitely preferable to Trumplethinskin, yet here we are. I long for the days where, if I did not hear the president's name for a few days or even *gasp* a whole week on the news, it was okay. That meant there was an adult in the White House, being an adult and doing the adult job entrusted to him. One can not deny the impact of Comey on the election, but let's also remember this: there were some people who were never going to vote for Clinton no matter what, and a lot of those people were not going to vote for Trumplethinskin either. I am very interested to see what the author has to say and look forward to finishing this one.

Author Review Request

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I also had a review request from an author this week and I've already finished the book. It was a shot, breezy read and I am still figuring out what I would like to say about it - seeing as how I did not stop to take any notes as I was reading.

What did you stack this week? Have you read any of these? Lave a comment and a link to your weekly haul; I'll be sure to check it out.

Happy Reading!
Sarah

20 comments:

  1. That southwest book looks interesting! I've heard some creepy tales talking to people who like to pass them along. (I'm not much for ghosts, but I do like storytellers!)

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    1. It was really interesting. I would need to know much more about pendulum dowsing, as I am still on the skeptical side about it and need more information. But one of the things I always look for in books like this is the history aspect, the things we know to be facts. I find the books that provide historical background, as well as sources for more information, much more credible, personally. Even if you are not such a fan of paranormal experiences, you may still like this, given that component. It should still be up on NetGalley.

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  2. A friend told me he started and finished this book during a layover at Denver International Airport. Some people are just very quick readers, I suppose. I will always be jealous of the quick readers since I love books, but it takes me forever to finish one. Thank you for taking a chance with Luck Favors The Prepared.

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    1. Oh yes, I am definitely a quick reader - especially if it is a book I enjoy and don't want to put down - hence why I did not stop to take notes. There are some books that do slow me down, but overall I tend to speed-read. Thank you again for sending a copy, I hope to have a review up at some point this weekend.

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  3. Trumplethinskin! Love it! *giggles* I'm not a huge Hillary fan either and I think a Bernie v Trump race would've been interesting! I've picked up a few books about the election but not this one yet so I'll add it to wishlist.

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    1. Glad others enjoy the name, I think it is quite fitting. I really believe that Bernie would have won and things would be a lot different than they are right now. But hopefully the wave of Democrats winning will continue into this fall and we can take back Congress for 2018 to try to stop some of this tomfoolery going on. (And of course by 'tomfoolery' I mean complete and utter bullshit.)

      I'm liking the book so far, and the pub date is set for February so it will be out soon.

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  4. Trumplethinskin-I've been wondering what would be a good nickname for this dude and you nailed it! He seems to like to dish out names for other folks, this is a good payback.

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    1. Very fitting, isn't it? I've seen a lot of nicknames for him but this one is by far my favorite.

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  5. Muslims, Christians and Jesus has me intrigued! I hope you enjoy your books.

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    1. Thank you Chrissi! There is an earlier edition, so I am not sure what material is new and what is old, but it is available. I'll be sure to review it ASAP.

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  6. This Week I bought:

    Think Like an Anthropologist by Matthew Engelke
    Hunt the Altmark by Richard Wiggan
    Fractured Lands - How the Arab World came apart by Scott Anderson
    Spain in our Hearts - Americans in the Spanish Civil War 1936-1939 by Adam Hochschild
    The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
    Six Tudor Queens - Anne Boleyn by Alison Weir
    Know Me Now by C J Carver

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    1. Definitely just added Think Like an Anthropologist and Fractured Lands to my TBR, thank you!

      I do not read much - any, really - historical fiction but I am interested to know your opinion of Alison Weir, and her non-fiction especially.

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    2. Always happy to add to people's TBR pile!

      Both Alison Weir and Philippa Gregory are frankly superb. I think every book of theirs has knocked it out of the park for me. They have a real knack of getting the reader inside the heads of their (usually female) protagonists so that you not only understand what happened but why it happened. Weir is a great historian as well and I recommend her non-fiction just as highly.

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    3. I have read a lot of her non-fiction, I was just curious on your opinion because she - and Gregory - seem to be very polarizing figures, either you love their work or you hate it. I know Gregory writes historical fiction, but The Other Boleyn Girl really made me quite upset and I don't even particularly care for Anne Boleyn all that much. But I am always interested in hearing from others what makes them like Gregory's work, though I myself just can't connect to it. It is good insight, thank you for sharing!

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    4. I do know that Weir is looked down on by 'academic' historians who wouldn't stoop to writing fiction. But I bet her approach gets a lot more people eventually reading non-fiction history than the 'proper' historians. As long as people *know* its fictionalised then I can't see the problem myself.

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    5. That is definitely my biggest fear, I think because I love non-fiction so much and I hope that people who read historical fiction then seek out the sources and find the true story. I absolutely refuse to read any historical fiction featuring Eleanor of Aquitaine and her brood, by any author. Though lots of people keep telling me to read Sharon Kay Penman's books.

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  7. Ancient Egypt looks fun! And I'd be curious about the book on Clinton, especially since it's written by Lanny Davis. I know he's a pretty unabashed Clinton partisan, but I'm sure it has some interesting insights, and I DO think Comey had a HUGE influence on the election. And what you said about having an adult in the WH- so true. It used to be we didn't have to cringe every 5 minutes lol.

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    1. It was a really fun read and quick too. The premise of the series is that these kids stumble into this travel agency/bookstore hybrid. One of them opens a book about Ancient Egypt and they are transported back in time. So we see the story of the kids trying to make it back home, while also 'reading' the book that they opened to get their in the first place. Really great mix of fiction and non-fiction. And in graphic novel-ish form, this could be good for a lot of reluctant readers.

      Because Davis wrote it, I was wary of requesting it, but decided I wanted to know more about how it all came about. There is no doubt that Comey did have a big impact. One only has to look at polls numbers before the memo and then after. As for an adult in the White House, yes, I look forward to the day when one is finally able to move in - hopefully in 2020 if not sooner!

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  8. Here in Nashville, we have a used bookstore heaven called McKay's Books. It is a complete and utter struggle to leave that place without 20 books. But I won last week by taking home less than 10! Here's my haul:
    Fervent by Priscilla Shirer
    The Noticer by Andy Andrews
    Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
    We Are All Weird by Seth Godin
    Draw The Circle by Mark Batterson
    Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult (local library)

    ps: Thanks for the kind comments over at Remembrancy! It really warmed my heart.

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    1. McKay's Books sounds like a place I would love too. Used bookstores are among my most favorite of places on the planet. I have Hidden Figures on my Kindle and have been wanting to get to it for ages. And I also want to read We Are All Weird, it's on my TBR.

      I felt drawn into your book without even having read anything but the summary. That is powerful, and that is a great talent you have. I replied to your comment over there at Remembrancy, as well, but I would be honored to read your book!

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Thanks for visiting my little book nook. I love talking books so leave a comment and let's chat!