Stacking the Shelves #89

 

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 Labors of Hercules by Agatha Christie (Hercule Poirot Book 26)

Library Borrow

I have read many of the choices for Read Christie 2026 so I was excited for May as this book is new to me. It is a collection of 12 short stories starring my favorite Christie character, Hercule Poirot. I do not profess to know anything about Hercules, but Poirot, nearing retirement, decides to take on 12 cases that relate to the "labors of Hercules" from Greek literature where the God has been assigned 12 nearly impossible tasks. So far it has been fun and it's nice to have quick short stories to pick up and read between longer books.

The Rival Queens by Nancy Goldstone 

Library Borrow

This author takes on more obscure subjects in history and I like that. She has written several books I want to read and this one looks very interesting. It's about Catherine de Medici and her daughter, Marguerite de Valois, who have a troubled relationship that involves the future of France and apparently a lot of scheming and betrayal. I know nothing about this story so I'm sure I'll learn a lot of juicy new things!

A Christmas Garland by Anne Perry (Christmas Book 10)

Libby borrow

I read this book years ago and having finished all of Anne Perry's Christmas books, decided this was definitely my favorite and warranted a re-read. It is set in India and centers around the 1857 Siege of Cawnpore, an infamous clash between cultures, and I found the history weaved into the story fascinating. I've never found another book like it. A minor character from her main novels, Victor Narraway, is featured so we get to learn a bit more about him. I know it's May but I don't care! I'm reading it anyway.