Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish, and is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. It’s all about books, lists and sharing the love we have of both with our bookish friends. This week we’re checking out the books that have recently joined our shelves.
Between end of year sales and seasonal gifting, December is traditionally a good time for book hauls. This year I have the unusual bonus of having moved house and ended up with more shelf space (I know, right? Jammy reptile) so let’s take a look at what I’ll be sliding into the gaps…
Sea of Tranquillity – Emily St John Mandel
Station Eleven is a book that I loved and has stayed with me, but I’ve never got round to reading another by Emily St John Mandel. I can fix that now – Sea of Tranquillity was a Kindle deal earlier this month. Art, beauty and disrupted timelines – I’m looking forward to sinking into this.
Opulent Syntax – Don Duncan & Dave Ring (eds)
Bring me your banshees and spiteful sidhe, your Irish apocalypse and wistful glimpses of other worlds. This anthology of Irish speculative fiction and poetry was just released by Neon Hemlock and will feature in my Bitesize Reads reviews early next year.
The Councillor – EJ Beaton
I’ve been wanting to read The Councillor since before it came out, but the limited and very expensive UK release (and the fact I didn’t cover fantasy for last year’s Subjective Chaos Kind of Awards) means I’m only just getting my hands on a copy. Political fantasy is a personal favourite, so this may slide into my reads fast.
The Annual Migration of Clouds – Premee Mohamed
Into the Christmas gifts now, and I’m delighted to finally have a physical copy of Premee Mohamed’s beautiful post-apocalyptic novella The Annual Migration Of Clouds. Independence, hard choices, community, hope and the double-edged promise of wild pigs made this one of my favourite 2021 reads.
The Ivory Tomb – Melissa Caruso
Guess what series I get to finish next year? The Ivory Tomb has flown onto my shelf, so I can now let myself read The Quicksilver Court and make it a double-header to race to trilogy’s end. I love curling up with Melissa Caruso’s fantasies for their adorable characters and wild magic.
Storyland – Amy Jeffs
Art and mythology meet in this amazing looking collection by Amy Jeffs, who has retold foundational British myths and illustrated them with evocative woodcuts. I’m looking forward to see what she’s made of tales of Brutus and Scota and the rest – and how they’ve been rooted into our ancient places and enduring landscapes.
Map Of A Nation – Rachel Hewitt
Maps are a lifelong love of mine. As a kid, I’d entertain myself while Mum ran errands by opening up the road map and studying a random part of the country. The Ordnance Survey, then, has a special magic for me – I’m super excited to read this ‘biography’ of it by Rachel Hewitt.
Planetfall / After Atlas / Atlas Alone – Emma Newman
Having read and loved Planetfall earlier this year, I grabbed a physical copy of it and two of its three sequels in the Christmas sales. Now to get my hands on a copy of Before Mars…
Hav – Jan Morris
I’m pretty sure this is C of The Middle Shelf’s fault – but it’s so far up my street I can only be grateful for the recommendation. Jan Morris was a travel writer, whose work I have previously enjoyed; Hav is an account of an author revisiting a fictional city and finding much changed since they were last there.
Mexican Gothic – Silvia Moreno-Garcia
I’ve been meaning to get a physical copy of Mexican Gothic – another favourite from 2021 – and the Christmas sales provided an opportunity. I’ve subsequently discovered the beautiful and unfamiliar artwork (not pictured) is the Polish edition, so I’m curious to see what turns up. And whether I’ll need to learn Polish next year…
What books have you acquired most recently?
onemore.org 