State of the Stack (June 30, 2014)

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.  

I also do this post because sometimes (frequently) review books sit on my stack for a while before I read and review them. I try to read and review books within two weeks of publication date. Sometimes I can't, though, if too many books are releasing on the same date or if the book arrives too near its publication date and my calendar is already full. 

I am very grateful to the authors and publishers who support my reading habit. 

My Review Pile

Here is what I have on my stack. The release date is in parentheses. Links go to Amazon.

Very Recent Arrivals

As soon as I finished setting up this post and getting pictures of all my current review books, I got my most recent choices from Amazon Vine. Pretend that they are interspersed with the others in order by publication date. 

Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews (Oct. 26)

Bones Never Lie by Kathy Reichs (Sept. 23)

For All Time by Jude Deveraux (July 1)

August

Visions by Kelley Armstrong (Aug. 14)

Feral by Holly Schindler (Aug. 26)

Memory Zero by Keri Arthur (Aug. 26)

No Limits by Lori Foster (Aug. 26)

September

Don't Touch by Rachel M. Wilson (Sept. 2)

Starry Night by Isabel Gillies (Sept. 2)

Wood Sprites by Wen Spencer (Sept. 2)

Rites of Passage by Joy N. Hensley (Sept. 9)

Blackbird by Anna Carey (Sept. 16)

Evidence of Things Not Seen by Lindsey Lane (Sept. 16)

Get Even by Gretchen McNeil (Sept. 16)

The Magic Thief: Home by Sarah Prineas (Sept. 16)

The Vault of the Dreamers by Caragh M. O'Brien (Sept. 16)

Adrenaline Crush by Laurie Boyle Crompton (Sept. 23)

Firebug by Lish McBride (Sept. 23)

The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place by Julie Berry (Sept. 23)

Tabula Rasa by Kristen Lippert-Martin (Sept. 23)

Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper (Sept. 23)

October

The Diamond Thief by Sharon Gosling (Oct. 1)

Exquisite Captive by Heather Demetrios (Oct. 7)

Kiss Kill Vanish by Jessica Martinez (Oct. 7)

Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin (Oct. 7)

Stray by Elissa Sussman (Oct. 7)

Thursdays with the Crown by Jessica Day George (Oct. 7)

Clariel by Garth Nix (Oct. 14)

Even in Paradise by Chelsey Philpot (Oct. 14)

Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch (Oct. 14)

Beware the Wild by Natalie C. Parker (Oct. 21)

Centaur Rising by Jane Yolen (Oct. 21)

Get Happy by Mary Amato (Oct. 28)

November

Killer Instinct by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Nov. 4)

The Book of Storms by Ruth Hatfield (Nov. 11 when I added it. Now Amazon says 1/27/2015)

On the Edge by Allison Van Diepen (Nov. 25)

I Read This Month

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.

1. The Body in the Woods by April Henry
2. The Things You Kiss Goodbye by Leslie Connor
3. The Vanishing Season by Jodi Lynn Anderson
4. On the Fence by Kasie West
5. Vanished by Kendra Elliot
6. Straddling the Line by Jaci Burton
7. Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne (July 3)
8. Wild by Alex Mallory (July 5)
9. The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson (July 12)
10. Cast in Flame by Michelle Sagara (July 26)
11. Shipwreck Island by S. A. Bodeen (July 26)
12. Mortal Danger by Ann Aguirre (Aug. 2)
13. Frostborn by Lou Anders (July 31)
14. Invincible by Diana Palmer (July 23)

Read Last Month, Reviews Posted This Month 

1. The Lost by Sarah Beth Durst
2. The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu 
3. Heaven's Queen by Rachel Bach 
4. Vivian Divine Is Dead by Lauren Sabel 
5. Hexed by Michelle Krys 
6. Fatal Affair by Marie Force 
7. On the Road to Find Out by Rachel Toor 
8. The Quick by Lauren Owen
9. Jessie Elliot Is a Big Chicken by Elise Gravel 
10. Dark Metropolis by Jaclyn Dollamore
11. That Night by Chevy Stevens

I Added These Books

These are listed in the order I received them. Links go to Amazon. Date published is listed in parentheses.

1. Vanished by Kendra Elliot (July 1)
2. The Vault of the Dreamers by Caragh O'Brien (Sept. 16)
3. Wood Sprites (Elfhome) by Wen Spencer (Sept. 2)
4. Starry Night by Isabel Gillies (Sept. 2)
5. Evidence of Things Not Seen by Lindsey Lane (Sept. 16)
6. Thursdays With the Crown by Jessica Day George (Oct. 7)
7. Cast in Flame by Michelle Sagara (July 29)
8. Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen by Garth Nix (Oct. 14)
9. Visions by Kelley Armstrong (Aug. 14)
10. No Limits by Lori Foster (Aug. 26)
11. Invincible by Diana Palmer (July 29)
12. Killer Instinct by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Nov. 4)
13. True Love by Jude Deveraux (May 27)
14. For All Time by Jude Deveraux (July 1)
15. Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews (Oct. 26)
16. Bones Never Lie by Kathy Reichs (Sept. 23)
17. Guilt by Association by Marcia Clark (Sept. 26. 2012)

Next Month's Plan

The plan is pretty simple. I want to have all my September review books read, reviews written and posts scheduled before my summer vacation is over on Aug. 25. Since I only have 4 August review books (and that one new July book), I should certainly be able to get that done. I already have all my July books finished and my whole calendar is scheduled. I do have some empty days to slip in books from my TBR mountain though.