Stacking the Shelves #92

 

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Reality. It's a place to showcase any books I have purchased, borrowed, or been lucky enough to have been given an advance copy of. Hope you find something that looks interesting to you or that makes you remember a favorite book you need to finish. Happy reading y'all!

The Royal Hammer by David Field (Book One of The Wars of the Roses Saga)

Kindle purchase: 99 cents with points

I pre ordered this book a while ago and had forgotten so I was pleasantly surprised when it showed up in my Kindle! This is the first in Field's new series, The Wars of the Roses, and begins where his last series left off....the Battle of Evesham and the fall of Simon de Montfort. I am excited to see how he handles the "three Edwards" and all the drama that goes with them. Book Two is already available for pre-order and is due out in September. It is currently on sale for only 99 cents. 

I love that he is starting in 1265, in chronological order, so that we get a full picture of how things unfold as opposed to starting later on as most books do with this topic. 

Murder at the Pyramids by Jim Eldridge (Museum Mysteries Book 12)

Kindle purchase: Free with points

Put the word pyramids in any mystery novel and I'll read it! This is book 12 so I'd be jumping into a series in the middle but I just might. It looks unique in that each book takes place, well, in a museum setting. And this one happens to really hook me with its location of Cairo and the Great Pyramids. 

Set in 1901 I love that it is historical as well. Abigail and Daniel Wilson, the "Museum Detectives" get involved in the murder investigation of a wealthy American financing an excavation of the pyramids. I'm hoping it's similar to the Peters books from the same setting.

Hastings by Griff Hosker (Conquest Series Book One)

Kindle purchase: 99 cents with points

This author is a former English teacher who has written over 200 books stretching from the early ancient period to modern times. His website, griffhosker.com,  is wonderful, explains the correct reading order and is massive in scope. As someone who loves to read chronologically about historical topics it is a gold mine. This book begins with the Battle of Hastings and all things Norman conquest. I'm not terribly interested in the period before this so I will start with this book. 

Even if you don't want to read them in any particular order, there is so much here running up to World War II, written in narrative form meant to engage and inform. My favorite kind of historical series!

A Sunless Sea by Anne Perry (William Monk Book 18)

 

Publication Date:

August 28, 2012

Genre: 

Mysteries, Historical Mysteries.   

Length:  

373 pages

Series:

William Monk

Book description courtesy of Goodreads

 As commander of the River Police, Monk is accustomed to violent death, but the entrails hanging from the mutilated female body found on Limehouse Pier one chilly December morning move him with horror and pity. The victim’s name is Zenia Gadney. Her waterfront neighbors can tell him little—only that the same unknown gentleman had visited her once a month for many years. She was quiet and dull, unlike the usual fallen doxy; her pillar of support was respectable Dr Lambourn, recent suicide after his government requisitioned report on opium was discredited.

Monk's old superior Runcorn was first on the scene for Lambourn, and now suspects government suppression. Lambourn's beautiful wife Dinah lies about her whereabouts and denies accusations, but Monk must arrest her despite his belief in her innocence. While public, press, government, and a biased judge push for a quick hanging before Christmas, Monk, his spirited wife Hester, and their brilliant barrister friend Oliver Rathbone, search for answers. From dank waterfront alleys to London’s fabulously wealthy West End, the three trail an ice-blooded murderer toward the unbelievable, possibly unproveable truth—and ultimately engage their adversaries in an electric courtroom duel.

My Thoughts

It took me awhile to finish this book. I kept getting sidetracked by shorter or easier reads. I finally buckled down and read the last hundred pages straight through in two days and that made the story more compelling.

Can't Wait Wednesday: Murder On the Jurassic Coast by Andrea Hicks (A Camille Divine Murder Mystery Book 14)

 

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday hosted by Tressa at the book blog, Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, Murder On the Jurassic Coast, by Andrea Hicks. She has written a series of books, Camille Devine Mysteries, and they are my favorite type, taking place in unusual, exotic locations: Sicily, Edinburgh, Cairo, and Paris to name a few. These are my favorite type of escape, cozy mysteries. The Jurassic Coast is an original as I've not seen another one set there. It looks interesting!

Historical Mysteries, Cozy Mysteries

June 30, 2026

Book description courtesy of Goodreads

SUMMER 1925
A windswept coast. A fatal fall. A truth buried deeper than the cliffs themselves…

When Knolly receives a devastating letter from an old friend’s husband, the news is Jill, a vibrant woman despite her disability, has been found dead at the foot of a cliff on the hauntingly beautiful Jurassic Coast. Her wheelchair lies shattered on the rocks...but something doesn’t sit right.

As Knolly and Aaron retreat to the coast to grieve in their newly purchased cottage, Camille and Richard arrive to offer comfort… and ask questions. Why was Jill near the cliff edge at all? Why was her wheelchair damaged in a way no fall could explain? And why are the locals so tight-lipped?

With the police baffled and no arrests made, Camille and her circle are once again drawn into a tangle of secrets, lies, and long-held grudges. Among ancient fossils and crashing waves, a very modern killer is hiding in plain sight.

Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, The Thursday Murder Club, and elegant, character-driven whodunnits, this latest installment in the bestselling Camille Divine Mysteries is layered with intrigue, emotional depth, and deadly deception.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Can't Believe I've Never Read

 

This week's theme for Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, is Books I Can't Believe I've Never Read. I seem to remember doing this topic years ago for Top Ten Tuesday but I was honestly too lazy to go back and find it today, lol. 

I probably have books that keep appearing on this list and then that made me think....Shellie, when are you FINALLY going to read them?  Sigh...it's just my typical book loving self I guess who keeps getting distracted by shiny new ones! Many are classics that I have wanted to buckle down and read for years. 

So here is my list and I guess I really, really need to get going! 

Happy reading y'all!!

**Click on the book title to go to Goodreads.

1. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas- 

I just finished watching the PBS mini series and it's made me want to finally get started reading this....but it's soooooo long! Kind of intimidating

2. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy- This book just seems like the kind you have to read to be educated. It's a true classic. Again, so incredibly long though.

3. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte- 

I loved Jane Eyre but somehow never got around to reading the sister's book.

4. Emma by Jane Austen- I have started this book twice. I was enjoying it and so I think I just stopped because it requires so much focus and concentration which I really need to work on!

5. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen- Some people say this is better than Emma so it's one I can't believe I haven't started.

6. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy- The premise of this book doesn't truly interest me but my father even loved it (I get the feeling it's a romance driven novel) so maybe I need to give it a try.

7. My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier- Rebecca will always be my favorite by this author but I love the old black and white movie of this book so I'm surprised I've never read it.

8. The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick- This is about a subject I love, William Marshal and a period I love, the 1100's.....I need to get going on this one!

9.The Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George- This has been in my Kindle forever. I know nothing about Cleopatra outside of the movie with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. It's one I keep forgetting about.

10.The First Man in Rome by Colleen McCullough- This seems to be a classic and well researched book about Julius Caesar and I'm sure the whole series is amazing. It's another book I've had in my Kindle forever but just haven't started.

The Labors of Hercules by Agatha Christie: Hercule Poirot #27 (Read Christie 2026 May Selection)

 

Publication Date:

January 1, 1947

Genre: 

Mysteries, Short Story Mysteries

Length:  

319 pages

Series:

Hercule Poirot

Book description courtesy of Goodreads

From the Queen of Mystery, the twelve cases Poirot must solve in this captivating collection of short crime fiction stories are dangerous, demanding, and positively ingenious.

In appearance Hercule Poirot hardly resembled an ancient Greek hero. Yet, reasoned the detective, like Hercules he had been responsible for ridding society of some of its most unpleasant monsters.

So, in the period leading up to his retirement, Poirot makes up his mind to accept just twelve more cases: his self-imposed “labors.” Each would go down in the annals of crime as a heroic feat of deduction.

My Thoughts:

I have to admit, I wasn't thrilled about this latest Read Christie choice. I am not a big fan of short stories and especially with mysteries. I like to get involved in the story and with the characters. I thought "how on earth can I enjoy 12 such quick cases?" I am happy to say I was pleasantly surprised and glad I didn't pass it up! I absolutely love Poirot so that helped but the stories were so clever and the whole tying it in with the "labors of hercules" was impressive. I know nothing at all about it and never got into Greek mythology but just seeing Christie use it and put it together with the cases was another testament to what a genius she really was. 

I could go through all the stories but the one that I really wanted to comment on was The Stymphalean Birds story as it was probably my favorite. I liked the way you almost forgot Poirot was in the story and then poof! he appears at the end to save the day. That was fun. Several of the stories were a bit confusing and filled with so many different people I got lost but when I stuck with it the ending was rewarding. I am truly in awe of how Christie came up with the mysteries and was able to "solve" them so succinctly and tie up loose ends. Even though I'm not a short story fan, I was with this book. And I honestly probably wouldn't have read it on my own without it being the Read Christie choice. 

There is something here for everyone....murder, blackmail, kidnapping, romance, heists, pets, and imposters. Each story will keep you guessing and on your toes! I highly recommend you don't skip this one just because it isn't the usual.