February isn’t quite over yet, but I’m not planning on buying anymore books* this month since I’m already massively in debt (according to my reading goal that requires me to read a certain number of books before buying more – not money debt). That means I can bring you a Stacking the Shelves post a little bit early this month, freeing up my final weekend of Saturday for some other fun posts.
*This isn’t quite true, since I am waiting for some books in the post still, but these are all books for my dissertation, which I’m going to make a separate Stacking the Shelves post for.
I’ve got eight books in this post for you today, including an exactly even split of fiction and nonfiction, which is very exciting! Most of them I haven’t read yet, but I have started a couple. Without further ado, let’s get into the books!
I’m linking this up to the Stacking the Shelves meme hosted by Marlene @Reading Reality, which allows us to share the books we’ve acquired (either bought, gifted or borrowed) each week – even though I don’t post each week, I enjoy being able to see what other people are excited about. Please see my first post for a discussion of why I don’t participate weekly/my concerns about book hauls and over-consumerism.
I have included links to purchase the books without supporting Amazon! If you’re based in the UK, please use the Bookshop.org UK affiliate links and support independent bookshops (where not available on Bookshop.org, I have included an alternative independent bookshop you can buy from directly). If you’re international, Blackwell’s ship all over the world and the cost of delivery is included in the listed price, so no nasty surprises. And of course, you can always request a book from your local library instead!
Two Women Living Together by Kim Hana and Hwang Sunwoo
In South Korea, two women reject both marriage and living alone, redefining what family means. Now in their late 40s, they reflect on society and the comfort of their cohabiting friendship.
This was one of my anticipated releases for the quarter, although I didn’t have it on preorder, and then a friend and I picked this out as a buddy read book for February.
A Thousand Blues by Cheon Seon-ran
A life-saving friendship between an emotional AI robot in awe of the blue hues of the sky and a young girl obsessed with robots.
This was also in my anticipated releases post as one of the new-to-paperback releases I was excited about and I’ve only heard good things so far. It has been described as “uplifting”, so I’m hoping for a Psalm for the Wild-Built vibe.
Cultivating Femininity: Women and Tea Culture in Edo and Meiji Japan by Rebecca Corbett
An academic text on the historical role of women in Japanese tea culture and how tea influenced the formation of modern understandings of femininity in Japan.
Is this related to anything I’m researching? No. But I am really into both tea and women’s history, so I want to read it for personal interest reasons anyway. This is actually a late Christmas present from my mum that didn’t’ arrive in time.
The conclusion to the Imperial Radch trilogy, a series about a ship AI who defies orders and has all but one of her bodies destroyed. Now she’s after revenge and retribution against the imperial forces that created and destroyed her.
The read-along for this series started in November and has been hosted by Azrah @Quintessentially Bookish, Nicole @BookwyrmKnits, Annemieke @A Dance With Books, and Mayri @The BookForager. In February, we’re reading book 3, and I had already read books 1 and 2 so this is my first time joining.
The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong
19-year-old Hai’s suicide attempt is stopped by the shout of an elderly widow succumbing to dementia. Hai becomes Grazina’s caretaker and the two form a bond with the power to transform Hai’s relationship with himself, his family and his community.
The building I live in has a book swap shelf in the entrance and I spotted this book there – since I know I want to give it a read at some point, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to nab a free copy, especially since I had a book I needed to pass on anyway.
Scotland’s Geomythography by Stuart McHardy
An exploration of Scotland’s prehistoric and later societies through their ties to the Scottish landscapes, and the deep-rooted cultural connections of communities to the land and traditions.
Despite being half Scottish, my father (who is Scottish) isn’t really big on culture or tradition, so I feel like I’m quite estranged from my heritage. Now that I’m living in Scotland, it seems like the perfect time to get a deeper appreciation for it.
Women of the Highlands by Katharine Stewart
A history of the women who shaped and passed down the culture of the Scottish Highlands.
Not only does this cover some Scottish history, but it’s also women’s history, which is a major academic interest of mine. This and the previous book are both books I bought after a trip to the Kelvingrove Gallery in Glasgow. It was a great gallery, but I was slightly underwhelmed by their section on Scottish history and wanted to read some more books instead.
Death and the Gardener by Georgi Gospodinov
A son watches his father pass; the father’s gardener remains his living legacy. Translated from the Bulgarian by Angela Rodel.
I preordered this book during one of Waterstones’ 25% off preorder sales (it’s new to paperback, I think it originally came out in English in 2024). I’ll probably be buddy reading this with a friend once we finish Two Women Living Together. (Also, I don’t know how, but my preorder arrived a week early?!)
Freebies!
Since Stacking the Shelves doesn’t just have to be the books you’ve bought, I also thought I would share with you the ARCs that I have received. (Or ARC, in this case, since I only requested one this month.)
The Forgetting Navigations by Marlee Jane Ward
Evey is trapped on board the spaceship of a man with cold eyes and an even colder heart. When the door opens, she runs for the lifepod, launching into space and hoping that someone can save her before life support runs out.
This is a short novella, but it’s beautifully written and I didn’t feel like it was either too short or too long. I’ll be releasing a review for it (next Friday!), so definitely check that out if you seem interested.
Bookshop.org UK (ebook only) – preorder now, out 4th of May
*Most of this indie publisher’s books also have paperback editions, so stayed tuned closer to the release date!
I’ve also got two books out from the library at the moment – the first volume of the Witch Hat Atelier manga series by Kamome Shirahama and the audiobook of Artificial Condition, the second book in the Murderbot series by Martha Wells.
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If you are based in the UK and want to support independent bookshops, please consider buying the books on this list via my storefront on Bookshop.org UK. If you do, I get 10% commission and so do British independent bookshops (without affecting the price you pay).
If you can’t buy the books right now but want to read them, please check your local library (or request them)! Together we can keep these important community resources alive.
And that’s it! Have you read any of these books? If so, what did you think? What book did you acquire this month that you are the most excited for? Let me know down below!
(Also, on the off chance that you saw my first post and are wondering why this isn’t me sharing the books I acquired in Korea… that’s coming soon! I don’t know whether it will be that one or the books for my dissertation post first, but I’m expecting a couple more Stacking the Shelves posts in March to clear some of the backlog!)
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