State of the Stack (July 30, 2012)

This is my monthly State of the Stack post. It is my way to keep track of my review books and to hopefully reduce the stack that I have waiting for me. I take a look at my review commitments on the last Monday of each month. Please feel free to join in and let me know the state of your stack.

Here is my Review Books Spreadsheet. Yellow highlighted books are ones past their publication date that I still haven't read and reviewed. I use pink highlights for reviews due in even numbered months so that I can see at a glance how many I have for each month. Ideally, this keeps me from over-committing to review books. However, I have to say that this isn't working for me. So many books sound good and I have no willpower.


My Physical Review Pile


These are pictured in the order that I received them. Release date is in parentheses after the title and author.

Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama (Aug. 21)

The Man From Primrose Lane by James Renner (unsolicited; Feb. 28, 2012)

Keeping Safe the Stars by Sheila O'Connor (Oct. 11)

Because It Is My Blood by Gabrielle Zevin (Sept. 18)

Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood (Jan. 1, 2012)

Crewel by Gennifer Albin (Oct. 16)

 Eve & Adam by Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate (Oct. 2)

The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkowski (Oct. 16)

Chasing the Skip by Janci Patterson (Oct. 2)

 Safekeeping by Karen Hesse (Sept. 18)

Dead Girl Moon by Charlie Price (Oct. 30)

Miss Fortune Cookie by Lauren Bjorkman (Nov. 13)

 My Book of Life by Angel by Martine Leavitt (Sept. 4)

Emily's Dress and Other Missing Things by Kathryn Burak (Oct. 2)

Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier (Oct. 30)

 Outpost by Ann Aguirre (Sept. 4)

Garment of Shadows by Laurie R. King (Sept. 4)

Tears of the Jaguar by A. J. Hartley (Sept. 4)

Mothership by Martin Leicht and Isla Neal (July 10)

Thirteen by Kelley Armstrong (July 24)

My Kindle Review Pile


These are pictured in the order that I received them. Release date is in parentheses after the title and author.

The City's Son by Tom Pollock (Sept. 8)

The Paladin Prophecy by Mark Frost (Sept. 25)

Hanging by a Thread by Sophie Littlefield (Sept. 11)

 The Assault by Brian Falkner (Sept. 25)

The Opposite of Hallelujah by Anna Jarzab (Oct. 9)

Redemption by Veronique Launier (Sept. 8)

 Thursday at Noon by William F. Brown (unsolicited; 1962)

Dearly, Beloved by Lia Habel (Sept. 25)

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken (Dec. 18)

 The Blood Keeper by Tessa Gratton (Aug. 28)

Dark Star by Bethany Frenette (Oct. 23)

Beta by Rachel Cohn (Oct. 16)

manicpixiedreamgirl by Tom Leveen (4/23/2013)

Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson (3/12/2013)

The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke (Oct. 2)

League of Strays by L. B. Schulman (Oct. 1)

Foxfire by Karen Kincy (Oct. 8)

Cast in Peril by Michelle Sagara (Sept. 25)

A Royal Pain by Megan Mulry (Nov. 1)

Running Wild by Linda Howard and Linda Jones (Nov. 27)

I Read This Month


I read 24 review books this past 4 weeks. These are listed in the order I read them. Links go to my reviews for all that have been posted already. Otherwise, the date the review is scheduled for is listed.) 

• The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters
• Team Human by Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan
• Hidden (A Bone Secrets Novel) by Kendra Elliott
• Before You Go by James Preller
• Dragon Justice by Laura Anne Gilman
• Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
• The Line Between Here and Gone by Andrea Kane
• Blood and Silver by James R. Tuck
• The Last Victim by Karen Robards
• Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan (Sept. 6)
• Big Sky Mountain by Linda Lael Miller (Aug. 8)
• Sweet Talk by Julie Garwood (Aug. 2)
• Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas (Aug. 2)
• Grave of Angels by Michael Prescott (Aug. 11)
• The Magician's Apprentice by Kate Banks (Aug. 9)
• Glitch by Heather Anastasiu (Aug. 1)
• Skylark by Meagan Spooner (Aug. 4)
• Dead Ringer by Allen Wyler (Aug. 9)
• Off the Grid by P. J. Tracy (Aug. 4)
• First Do No Evil by Carey Baldwin (Aug. 16)
• Timeless Desire by Gwyn Cready (Aug. 18)
• Game Changers by Mike Lupica (Aug. 13)
• Immortally Yours by Angie Fox (Aug. 25)
• Mothership by Martin Leicht and Isla Neal (Aug. 15)

I Added These Books


These are the 16 review books I received this month. They are listed in the order that I received them. This month almost all of my additions to the pile were adult books. YA titles begin with an asterisk. 

• The Last Policeman by Ben Winters (arrived 6/26; released July 10)
• Garment of Shadows by Laurie R. King (arrived 6/27; releases Sept. 4)
• Hidden (A Bone Secrets Novel) by Kendra Elliott (arrived 6/27; released July 17)
• Cast in Peril by Michelle Sagara (arrived 7/1; releases Sept. 25)
• Immortally Yours by Angie Fox (arrived 7/2; releases August 28)
• The Last Victim by Karen Robards (arrived 7/3; releases August 7)
• Tears of the Jaguar by A. J. Hartley (arrived 7/3; releases Sept. 24)
• Dead Ringer by Allen Wyler (arrived 7/17; released June 26)
• Off the Grid by P. J. Tracy (arrived 7/18; releases August 2)
• First Do No Evil by Carey Baldwin (arrived 7/19; released June 26)
• A Royal Pain by Megan Mulry (arrived 7/23; releases Nov. 1)
• Timeless Desire by Gwyn Cready (arrived 7/23; released July 18)
• *Mothership by Martin Leicht (arrived 7/24; released July 10)
• *Game Changers by Mike Lupica (arrived 7/24; released May 8)
• Running Wild: The Men from Battle Ridge by Linda Howard and Linda Jones (arrived 7/24; releases Nov. 27)
• Thirteen by Kelley Armstrong (arrived 7/26; released July 24)

I Am Currently Reading

I am excited to get to Thirteen by Kelley Armstrong. It is the thirteenth and final book in the Women of the Otherworld series. 

I am catching up on my review stack. This is the first month I remember where I actually read more review books than I received. What is the state of your review stack?