What's New? Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. Pop on over there to share your new books and ogle what other bloggers got.

Don't know if anyone noticed, but I had no STS post last Sunday. Such a frugal angel.

Bought:

This Journal Belongs to Ratchet by Nancy J. Cavanaugh. 305 p. Sourcebooks, Incorporated, April, 2013. 9781402281068.

Publisher synopsis: If only getting a new life were as easy as getting a new notebook.

But it's not.

It's the first day of school for all the kids in the neighborhood. But not for me. I'm homeschooled. That means nothing new. No new book bag, no new clothes, and no friends — old or new. The best I've got is this notebook. I'm supposed to use it for my writing assignments, but my dad never checks. Here's what I'm really going to use it for:

Ratchet's Top Secret Plan Project Goal: turn my old, recycled, freakish, friendless, motherless life into something shiny and new.

I can't recall where I saw a review of this one. I have to start taking notes so I can give credit to reviewers whose posts compel me to purchase a book.

Strike Three You're Dead by Josh Berk. 250 p. (Lenny & Mike Series) Random House Children's Books, March, 2013. 9780375870088.

Publisher synopsis: Lenny Norbeck is a die-hard baseball lover. Unfortunately, he's no player himself (according to him, he's "the worst there ever was.") But he'd make a heck of an announcer. He gets a lot of practice sitting with his best friends, Mike and Other Mike, watching Phillies games from their lawn couch—a sweet outdoor TV arrangement Mike's dad hooked them up with. Being a real announcer is his dream, and he gets his chance to prove himself when he enters an "Armchair Announcer" contest and wins. The prize: he gets to be the broadcaster, live, for one inning at a real Phillies game.

The game goes very wrong, though. Before Lenny gets to do his inning, a young, promising pitcher fresh out of the minors literally drops dead on the mound. The official verdict is that he died of a heart attack, but Lenny has a hunch there's something more going on. So he and the Mikes set out to investigate. The suspects are many, and though the trio barks up the wrong tree a few times, they are always right on the heels of the real killer. . .

Again, wish I remembered where I found out about this one. I so enjoyed Berk's Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin and I enjoy baseball novels. Looking forward to reading this one.

That's what's new with me. What's new with you?

Happy reading!