Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you’re adding to your shelves, be it buying or borrowing. From ‘real’ books you’ve purchased, a book you’ve borrowed, a book you’ve been given or an e-book they can all be shared.
Mindful of the TBR, and you can see quite how bad this is in this post, I have only added a few books to my pile in the last two weeks but I think they are good ones, what do you think?
First I have a non-fiction book, The Life Project by Helen Pearsons, I’ve had a peek inside and it seems to be an immensely readable study of how our lives have changed, and how they’ve stayed the same.
Blurb
On March 3, 1946, a survey began that is, today, the longest-running study of human development in the world, growing to encompass six generations of children, 150,000 people, and some of the best-studied people on the planed. The simple act of observing human life has changed the way we are born, schooled, parent and die, irrevocably altering our understanding of inequality and health. This is the tale of these studies, the scientists who created them, sustained them, and perhaps most importantly, the remarkable discoveries that have come from them. The envy of scientists around the world, The Life Project is one of Britain’s best-kept secrets. Goodreads
I was lucky enough to receive a copy of Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner for review for Lovereading. Missing Presumed will be published on 26 February 2016
Blurb
Edith Hind, the beautiful, earnest Cambridge post-grad living on the outskirts of the city has left nothing behind but a streak of blood and her coat hanging up for her boyfriend, Will, to find. The news spreads fast: to her parents, prestigious doctor Sir Ian and Lady Hind, and straight on to the police. And then the hours start to dissolve and reality sets in.
Detective Sergeant Manon Bradshaw soothes her insomnia with the din of the police radio she keeps by her bed. After another bad date, it takes the crackling voices to lull her to sleep. But one night she hears something. Something deserving of her attention. A girl is missing. For Manon the hunt for Edith Hind might be the career-defining case she has been waiting for. For the family this is the beginning of their nightmare.
As Manon sinks her teeth into the investigation and lines up those closest to Edith she starts to feel out the kinks in their stories and catch the eyes that won’t meet hers. But when disturbing facts come to light, the stakes jolt up and Manon has to manage the wave of terror that erupts from the family.
A stunning literary thriller that shows the emotional fallout from the anxious search for a young woman and lets you inside the mind of the detective hell-bent on finding her. Goodreads
From NetGalley I requested a copy of The Jazz Files by Fiona Veitch Smith. I simply couldn’t resist the 1920s setting!
Blurb
“It stands for Jazz Files,” said Rollo. “It’s what we call any story that has a whiff of high society scandal but can’t yet be proven… you never know when a skeleton in the closet might prove useful.”
Set in 1920, The Jazz Files introduces aspiring journalist Poppy Denby, who arrives in London to look after her ailing Aunt Dot, an infamous suffragette. Dot encourages Poppy to apply for a job at The Daily Globe, but on her first day a senior reporter is killed and Poppy is tasked with finishing his story. It involves the mysterious death of a suffragette seven years earlier, about which some powerful people would prefer that nothing be said…
Through her friend Delilah Marconi, Poppy is introduced to the giddy world of London in the Roaring Twenties, with its flappers, jazz clubs, and romance. Will she make it as an investigative journalist, in this fast-paced new city? And will she be able to unearth the truth before more people die? NetGalley
I have a copy of The Exclusives by Rebecca Thornton from the publishers twenty7 who concentrate on debut authors. The Exclusives will be published in e-book format on 10 December 2015.
Blurb
1996. Freya Seymour and Josephine Grey are invincible – beautiful and brilliant, the two best friends are on the cusp of Oxbridge, and the success they always dreamed they’d share.
2014. Josephine hasn’t heard from Freya for eighteen long and tortured years. And then Freya gets in touch, wanting to meet.
Beginning with one ill-fated night, The Exclusives charts the agonising spiral of friendship gone wrong, the heartache and betrayal of letting down those closest to you and the poisonous possibilities of what we wouldn’t do when everything we prize is placed under threat.
And in the end, as she realises she cannot run for ever, Josephine must answer one question: can she face the woman that she used to know?
The Exclusives is Rebecca Thornton’s powerful debut novel about the pressures of life in an exclusive boarding school. Goodreads
Lastly I am exceptionally grateful for a copy of The Ballroom by Anna Hope, whose debut novel Wake was a huge favourite of mine. The Ballroom will be published on 16 February 2016
Blurb
1911: Inside an asylum at the edge of the Yorkshire moors,
where men and women are kept apart
by high walls and barred windows,
there is a ballroom vast and beautiful.
For one bright evening every week
they come together
and dance.
When John and Ella meet
It is a dance that will change
two lives forever.
Set over the heatwave summer of 1911, the end of the Edwardian era, THE BALLROOM is a tale of unlikely love and dangerous obsession, of madness and sanity, and of who gets to decide which is which. NetGalley
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
So since the 6 November when I counted up the TBR disappointedly I found 2 books I’d missed from the originally cataloguing so my total then should have been 175.
Since my last count I have read 7 books, and gained 5, leading to a grand total of 170 books, so the figures are inching slowly in the right direction – aren’t they?
85 physical books
70 e-books
15 books on NetGalley
What have you found to read this week?
This is quite a line up you have. The boarding school one is intriguing.
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It does, doesn’t it? I so enjoyed The Hidden Legacy from this publisher that I thought it was definitely worth seeing what else they had to offer
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I think they all like fantastic! I finished reading Missing, Presumed yesterday and loved it – even though I don’t normally enjoy books in the present tense I hardly registered it is in the present tense – so well written!
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Oh that’s good to know, thank you – I’ve got it coming up soon as I need to get the review in!
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I hope you enjoy all of these! Best wishes from the other Jersey.
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Haha – you travelled a long way from Scotland to get there – best wishes from the smaller one!
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You really do have some nice picks there, Cleo! Perhaps it’s just that I’m in a history mood, but The Ballroom and The Jazz Files both look really appealing to me. I’ll be interested in what you think of all of these as you read them.
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I’m going through a bit of a historical phase too, as you can see. I think it was kicked off again by watching the film Suffragette which has reawakened my interest.
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The Life Story does sound good and that blurb couldn’t be more accurate. It’s such a secret I’ve never heard of it! My finds this week have all come from the library. One is a detective story from a Chinese author called Qui Xiaolong ( do not ask me to pronounce that). By coincidence a serialisation of his work starts on Radio 4 today. Have you heard of them?
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I’ve not heard of Qui Xiaolong, I don’t think I’ve read any Chinese detective stories – something to aim for in 2016 maybe, I’ve put his first book featuring Inspector Chen Can onto my wishlist. What a happy coincidence that Radio 4 is featuring him.
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I’ve got The Exclusives here! The first book – The Life Project looked intriguing – as does The Jazz Files. I’d be attracted to the setting and cover too!
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And Missing Presumed looks great too! Hell, they all look fab Cleo. But I’m not mentioning my TBR numbers – they’re ridiculous, and we’re planning on moving around March, so some difficult decisions to be made!
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I’ve started The Exclusives, it’s very good and quite unusual – haha I’m hoping if I confess the numbers will magically reduce! Good luck with your move – does your new house have a library? 😉
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The Life Project sounds fascinating. I had heard of the study but didn’t realise there was a book associated with it. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction, Cleo.
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I actually know of a child who was part of the study in 1991 although I didn’t understand the context until I read the description of this book – I really want to get stuck into this one as the few pages I’ve read are fascinating.
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That must make it all the more interesting.
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I fancy reading Missing, Presumed and The Jazz Files. This week I’ve got The Finding of Martha Lost by Caroline Wallace, You and Me, Always by Jill Mansell and Try Not To Breathe by Holly Seddon 🙂
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Forgot to say I have a copy of The Ballroom which sounds fantastic 🙂
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I’m so thrilled I’ve got a coy of The Ballroom – I loved Wake and this sounds equally as brilliant – The Finding of Martha Lost sounds really intriguing – can’t wait to hear what you make of that one!
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Hmm… I managed to resist both The Jazz Files and The Ballroom despite being very tempted. Now you’re going to make me regret it, aren’t you…??
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Haha – Well I’m hoping I will – I had been hankering after a copy of The Ballroom for a while and so did a little dance when that one was approved!
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Oh, these all look so good, especially The Life Project and Missing, Presumed. I love watching detectives solve cases.
Here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES
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Thank you for stopping by and taking a look – I must admit I am very satisfied with this weeks selection.
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Your books are all new to me. A lot of your books are very different from what I read, but I hope you love all of them.
Grace @ Books of Love
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Thank you Grace!
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Wow, these are all new to me but all sound great in different ways! I’ve added The Ballroom to my TBR straight away on the strength of that blurb. And I don’t read much non-fiction, but The Life Project sounds really interesting. Great haul!
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Oh I am pleased – I do hope you enjoy it. I don’t read much non-fiction but there was something about this one that really appealed to me – my worry was it would have an academic tone, but it doesn’t!
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I like the sound of the life project. An interesting study by the sounds of it and a bit like being a fly on the wall.
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I had to put The Life Project to one side as it is so appealing to me – the glimpses of other people’s lives works well against the changes made over the years – the part I read is about maternity care.
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The Life Project sounds fascinating. I am finding myself more and more interested in non-fiction books this past year or so.
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.blogspot.com
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I’m not a huge reader of non-fiction Lauren but I am very nosy about other people’s lives, so this one fit the bill.
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The Life Project sounds fascinating – will look it up.
I’m on a huge TBR- reduction plan in 2016. My stack is a horrifying 394…
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Great news – I’m working on the premise that if I keep confessing how badly I’m doing the figures will magically move in the right direction 🙂
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Oh they will – there’s nothing like a public shaming 😉
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Sounds great! Congrats on reducing the TBR, as long as it’s going in the right direction that’s all that matters!
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I admire anyone who can count their TBR pile.
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