Release Week: 14 March 2023
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Release Week: 14 March 2023
Posted on 2023-03-14 at 12:00 by Samuel Montgomery-Blinn
PICKS:
48 Clues into the Disappearance of My Sister By: Joyce Carol Oates, read by Sarah Welborn for HighBridge -- "When a woman mysteriously vanishes, her sister must tally up the clues to discover her fate."
Feed Them Silence By: Lee Mandelo, read by Natalie Naudus for Dreamscape -- "What does it mean to be-in-kind with a nonhuman animal? Or, in Dr. Sean Kell-Luddon’s case, to be in-kind with one of the last remaining wild wolves? Using a neurological interface to translate her animal subject’s perception through her own mind, Sean intends to chase both her scientific curiosity and her secret, lifelong desire to experience the intimacy and freedom of wolfishness: to see the world through animal eyes; smell the forest, thick with olfactory messages; even taste the blood and viscera of a fresh kill; and, above all, to feel the belonging of the pack."
Piñata: A Novel By: Leopoldo Gout, read by Krysta Gonzales for OrangeSky -- "A Head Full of Ghosts meets Mexican Gothic in Piñata, a terrifying possession tale by author and artist Leopoldo Gout."
Children of Tomorrow By: J.R. Burgmann, read by Ric Herbert for WF Howes -- "A sweeping history of family and friendship, spanning multiple generations and geographies across the twenty-first century."
Walking Practice: A Novel By: Dolki Min, read by Nicky Endres for Harper -- "Squid Game meets The Left Hand of Darkness meets Under the Skin in this radical literary sensation from South Korea about an alien's hunt for food that transforms into an existential crisis about what it means to be human."
The Bones Beneath My Skin By: TJ Klune Narrated by: Kirt Graves for Macmillan -- "A spine-tingling thriller about a 10-year-old girl with an impossible power, her father, and an unlikely stranger, who come together to confront the dangerous forces that want her at all costs."
Dust Child By: Que Mai Phan Nguyen, read by Quyen Ngo for Algonquin -- "A suspenseful and moving saga about family secrets, hidden trauma, and the overriding power of forgiveness, set during the war and in present-day Việt Nam."
Island City By: Laura Adamczyk, read by Hillary Huber for Dreamscape -- "A wry and wistful woman, estranged from her family, sells her belongings and moves back to her hometown in the Midwest. To her, it’s the “perfect place to give up.” She wants to get rid of everything—her stuff, her ambitions. Before making a “messy exit,” she holes up in a dark bar and tells her stories to an audience of indifferent strangers. There’s the time the river dried up and you could walk across its bed, the day her sister got clobbered at the nursing home, the time her dad got cancer, then Alzheimer’s, then cancer again. Now she’s forgetting things the way he did, words slipping away, and that third drink isn’t helping."
I Will Find You By: Harlan Coben, read by Steven Weber for Brilliance -- "Five years ago, an innocent man began a life sentence for murdering his own son. Today he found out his son is still alive."
NON-FICTION WATCH:
The Angel Makers: Arsenic, a Midwife, and Modern History’s Most Astonishing Murder Ring by Patti McCracken, read by Gabra Zackman for Harper -- "A true-crime story like no other—a 1920s midwife who may have been the century’s most prolific killer leading a murder ring of women responsible for the deaths of at least 160 men."
Wilder Journeys: True Stories of Nature, Adventure and Connection edited by Laurie King and Miriam Lancewood, read by Marnie Chesterton, Tachia Newall, and Nneka Okoye for Watkins -- "Follow the call of the wild with these incredible true stories from an international group of nature lovers, nomads, and adventurers."
The Transcendent Brain: Spirituality in the Age of Science By: Alan Lightman, read by Christopher Grove for Random House -- "Can the scientifically inclined still hold space for spirituality?"
MORE FICTION:
Brutes: A Novel By: Dizz Tate, read by Eleanor McCormick for HighBridge -- "In Falls Landing, Florida—a place built of theme parks, swampy lakes, and scorched bougainvillea flowers—something sinister lurks in the deep. A gang of thirteen-year-old girls obsessively orbit around the local preacher's daughter, Sammy. She is mesmerizing, older, and in love with Eddie. But suddenly, Sammy goes missing. Where is she? Watching from a distance, they edge ever closer to discovering a dark secret about their fame-hungry town and the cruel cost of a ticket out. What they see will continue to haunt them for the rest of their lives."
The Last Russian Doll By: Kristen Loesch, read by Saskia Maarleveld for Penguin -- "A haunting, epic novel about betrayal, revenge, and redemption that follows three generations of Russian women, from the 1917 revolution to the last days of the Soviet Union, and the enduring love story at the center."
Hello Beautiful: A Novel By: Ann Napolitano, read by Maura Tierney for Random House -- "William Waters grew up in a house silenced by tragedy, where his parents could hardly bear to look at him, much less love him—so when he meets the spirited and ambitious Julia Padavano in his freshman year of college, it’s as if the world has lit up around him. With Julia comes her family, as she and her three sisters are inseparable: Sylvie, the family’s dreamer, is happiest with her nose in a book; Cecelia is a free-spirited artist; and Emeline patiently takes care of them all. With the Padavanos, William experiences a newfound contentment; every moment in their house is filled with loving chaos. But then darkness from William’s past surfaces, jeopardizing not only Julia’s carefully orchestrated plans for their future, but the sisters’ unshakeable devotion to one another."
The Dig: A Novel By: Anne Burt, read by Siiri Scott for HighBridge -- "When Sarajevo-born siblings Antonia and Paul were adopted by a wealthy Midwestern family in the 1990s, a series of events with deadly consequences was set in motion. Now, with her career on the line and her idealistic brother missing, Antonia must race against the clock to uncover a sinister secret and prevent history from repeating itself."
Solomon's Crown: A Novel By: Natasha Siegel, read by Ben Allen and Steve West for Random House -- "Twelfth-century Europe. Newly crowned King Philip of France is determined to restore his nation to its former empire and bring glory to his name. But when his greatest enemy, King Henry of England, threatens to end his reign before it can even begin, Philip is forced to make a precarious alliance with Henry’s volatile son—risking both his throne, and his heart. Richard, Duke of Aquitaine, never thought he would be king. But when an unexpected tragedy makes him heir to England’s royal seat, he finally has an opportunity to overthrow the father he despises. At first, Philip is a useful tool in his quest for vengeance . . . until passion and politics collide, and Richard begins to question whether the crown is worth the cost."
76 Hours: A Novel of Tarawa By: Larry Alexander, read by John Pirhalla and Brian Nishii for Blackstone -- "The island of Tarawa, a tiny spit of sand out in the middle of the Pacific, teemed with five hundred pillboxes filled with artillery pieces and highly motivated Japanese soldiers. Their commanding officer encouraged his troops, saying, “It would take one million men one hundred years” to conquer Tarawa. They were convinced that the Americans would be slaughtered before they ever got ashore."
Stateless by Elizabeth Wein, read by Moira Quirk for Hachette -- "When Stella North is chosen to represent Britain in Europe's first air race for young people, she knows all too well how high the stakes are. As the only participating female pilot, it'll be a constant challenge to prove she's a worthy competitor. But promoting peace in Europe feels empty to Stella when civil war is raging in Spain and the Nazis are gaining power—and when, right from the start, someone resorts to cutthroat sabotage to get ahead of the competition."
MORE SCI-FI and FANTASY:
Uncanny Times: The Huntsmen, Book 1 By: Laura Anne Gilman, read by Patricia Santomasso, Brent J Harrison for OrangeSky -- "The year is 1913. America—and the world—trembles on the edge of a modern age. Political and social unrest shift the foundations; technology is beginning to make its mark. But in the shadows, things from the past still move. Things inhuman, uncanny. And the Uncanny are no friend to humanity."
Bitter Medicine By: Mia Tsai, read by Natalie Naudus for Recorded Books -- "As a descendant of the Chinese god of medicine, Elle was destined to be a doctor. Instead, she’s underemployed as a magical calligrapher at the fairy temp agency. She and her older brother are in hiding from their younger brother, who seeks their deaths to gain their god’s favor. Safety means an order of invisibility with a side of no attachments at the No Fun Allowed store. Elle only relaxes around her client Luc, to whom she’s gotten attached. Oops."
Enhanced: The Hybrid Series, Book 1 By: Candace Kade, read by Rachanee Lumayno for Oasis -- "In a society where everyone's DNA determines their destiny, being a Natural means automatic relegation to the gritty and dangerous Outskirts. With the harnessed power of gene-editing, the ability to create a super-human race has transformed the world and offered the opportunity of a genetically enhanced life. But only to those who can afford it. Born a Natural, Lee Urban was adopted into the Enhanced high society of the Asian Federation and forced to conceal her genetic roots. When her dream of attending Peking University becomes a reality, she is determined to go despite a warning from a mysterious source."
SERIES WATCH:
Red London: Red Widow, Book 2 By: Alma Katsu, read by Mozhan Marno and Fiona Hardingham for Penguin -- "After her role in taking down a well-placed mole inside the CIA, Agent Lyndsey Duncan arrives in London fully focused on her newest Russian asset, deadly war criminal Dmitri Tarasenko. That is until her MI6 counterpart, Davis Ranford, personally calls for her help."
Antimatter Blues: A Mickey7 Novel, Book 2 By: Edward Ashton, read by John Pirhalla and Katharine Chin for Macmillan -- "The thrilling follow up to Mickey7, in which an expendable heads out to explore new terrain for human habitation."
Assassin of Reality: Vita Nostra, Book 2 By: Marina Dyachenko and Sergey Dyachenko, read by Jessica Ball for Harper -- "The eagerly anticipated sequel to the highly acclaimed Vita Nostra takes listeners to the next stage in Sasha Samokhina’s journey in a richly imagined world of dark academia in which grammar is magic—and not all magic is good."
Stormborn: The Seaborn Cycle, Book 3 by Michael Livingston, read by Elizabeth Evans for Audible Originals -- "In this stunning conclusion, the Fair Isles sail to battle, legends become real, and new magicks threaten to shatter the world."
Burning the Vale: The Vale, Book 3 By: Brian D. Anderson, read by Derek Perkins for Audible -- "The stage is set for the final stroke to be unleashed upon Vale. The survivors of the slaughter must now decide whether to fight on or abandon their home. Drake has not returned with Bomar weapons and soldiers leaving the chance for victory seemingly out of reach. A decision must be made."
Alien: Enemy of My Enemy By: Mary SanGiovanni, read by Shiromi Arserio for Blackstone -- "Hygeia, an outer rim colony, is doomed as the moon on which it was built hurtles toward an inevitable collision with the dead planet Hephaestus. When a distress signal arrives from a Weyland-Yutani biowarfare outpost near the colony, a desperate plan is launched to evacuate the trapped scientists and colonists. Their destination: LV-846, a key United Americas colony where high-level talks are scheduled to address the galaxy-wide hostilities between the colonies. Once there, the evacuees, including a contingent of Colonial Marines, discover a plot that could plunge the colonies into all-out war. Their only hope may be an alliance with the deadliest ally imaginable."
BACKLIST WATCH:
The Men Upstairs By: Tim Waggoner (2011), read by Gary Noon for Crossroad Press -- "He finds her crying in the lobby of a movie theater and takes her home to his apartment, a strange, beautiful woman with no last name, a mysterious past, and a powerful sexual allure. He wants her, and she wants him. There's only one problem: the men upstairs. She used to belong to them—and they'll do anything to get her back."
A Kiss of Thorns By: Tim Waggoner (2017), read by Gary Noon for Crossroad Press -- "Lonny lost his beloved sister Delia 30 years ago. Since then, he's sacrificed many lives in order to return her to the world of the living, but without success. His next target is Julia, a young women with a unfulfilled marriage and a passion for '80s horror films. She will soon discover that not only is real life more complicated than the movies, it's far more terrifying."
A Lonely Dungeon: Erryn's World, Book 1 By: Cathfach (2020), read by Peter Kenny for Podium -- "When a new dungeon is born, it wants nothing more than to have the most vicious monsters, the most cunning traps and the most shiny of loot. There is only one problem...but it's a rather big one. It finished its first floor years ago, but it still hasn't been visited by any adventurers! In order to find someone—or something—to explore its floors, or perhaps just to find someone to talk to, this dungeon will have to go way off script. But it soon discovers that going off script brings problems of its own, and that adventurers are not the only thing this world is missing."
INDIE WATCH:
Phantom and Rook: Adventures in Levena, Book 1 By: Aelina Isaacs, read by Kirt Graves -- "Arlo Rook has decided it’s time to move out of Garren Castle, home for orphans of all races, magical or not, at 100 years old. It’s not the first time he’s left home, but after a setback that landed the Hedge Witch in the hospital a year ago, he ended up right back at square one. But now he’s ready to strike out on his own, despite his friend’s worries that he’s not ready for the real world."
Court of Blood and Bindings: Fae Isles, Book 1 By: Lisette Marshall, read by Summer Roberts for Podium -- "When the empire’s deadliest fae murderer catches her wielding forbidden magic, twenty-year-old Emelin believes her hour has come. Instead, her inhumanly beautiful captor spares her life, but carries her off on his velvet wings into the one place from which no human ever returns: The heart of the Fae Isles. The treacherous Crimson Court, where the Mother of faekind has ruled unchallenged over fae and humans for decades. The Silent Death is supposed to be the Mother’s loyal servant, her invincible warrior, her ruthless, soulless killer. But in the shadows he is playing a game of his own, and he needs Emelin’s magic to win it."
Special Monsters Unit: Earth's Nexus, Book 1 By: Eve Langlais, read by Tanya Eby for Tantor -- "Trouble is brewing in Nexus, and for some reason, they think I can stop it. Some people are born to greatness. My mother wanted to strangle me at birth. I've not had an easy life, not in a world that thrives on magic. Spells to reinforce buildings. Hexes to give you the face of a supermodel. Or so I've been told. No one can hide their true face from me, and people get ugly when they find out my presence is the reason magic shrivels and dies. It's not as cool as it sounds, so when I'm offered a job with the Special Monsters Unit, I take a chance and join a misfit crew to find out why the town of Nexus is a magnet for cryptids. At least I'm part of a team. I'm making friends. I'm—finding out secrets about my past that are hard to handle. But my emotional scars will have to wait until after we deal with the monsters. Especially those with human faces."
MOST MISSING:
New Suns 2: Original Speculative Fiction by People of Color edited by Nisi Shawl (Solaris) -- "The stunning follow-up to the multiple-award-winning anthology of SFF by people of colour. New Suns 2 brings you fresh visions of the strange, the unexpected, the shocking—breakthrough stories, stories shining with emerging truths, stories that pierce stale preconceptions with their beauty and bravery. Like the first New Suns anthology (winner of the World Fantasy, Locus, IGNYTE, and British Fantasy awards), this book liberates writers of many races to tell us tales no one has ever told. Many things come in twos: dualities, binaries, halves, and alternates. Twos are found throughout New Suns 2, in eighteen science fiction, fantasy, and horror stories revealing daring futures, hidden pasts, and present-day worlds filled with unmapped wonders. Including stories by Daniel H. Wilson, K. Tempest Bradford, Darcie Little Badger, Geetanjali Vandemark, John Chu, Nghi Vo, Tananarive Due, Alex Jennings, Karin Lowachee, Saad Hossain, Hiromi Goto, Minsoo Kang, Tlotlo Tsamaase, Rochita Loenen-Ruiz, Malka Older, Kathleen Alcalá, Christopher Caldwell and Jaymee Goh with a foreword by Walter Mosley and an afterword by Dr. Grace Dillon."
Once Upon a Tome: The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller by Oliver Darkshire (W. W. Norton) -- "Some years ago, Oliver Darkshire stepped into the hushed interior of Henry Sotheran Ltd (est. 1761) to apply for a job. Allured by the smell of old books and the temptation of a management-approved afternoon nap, Darkshire was soon unteetering stacks of first editions and placating the store’s resident ghost (the late Mr. Sotheran, hit by a tram). A novice in this ancient, potentially haunted establishment, Darkshire describes Sotheran’s brushes with history (Dickens, the Titanic), its joyous disorganization, and the unspoken rules of its gleefully old-fashioned staff, whose mere glance may cause the computer to burst into flames. As Darkshire gains confidence and experience, he shares trivia about ancient editions and explores the strange space that books occupy in our lives―where old books often have strong sentimental value, but rarely a commercial one. By turns unhinged and earnest, Once Upon a Tome is the colorful story of life in one of the world’s oldest bookshops and a love letter to the benign, unruly world of antiquarian bookselling, where to be uncommon or strange is the best possible compliment."
Indigo Field by Marjorie Hudson (Regal House) -- "In the rural South, a retired colonel in an upscale retirement community grieves the sudden death of his wife on the tennis court. On the other side of the highway, an elderly Black woman grieves the murder of her niece by a white man. Between them lies an abandoned field where three centuries of crimes are hidden, and only she knows the explosive secrets buried there. When the colonel runs into her car, causing a surprising amount of damage, it sparks a feud that sets loose the spirits in the Field, both benevolent and vengeful. In prose that’s been called “dazzling” and “mesmerizing,” in the animated voices of trees and birds and people, in Southern-voiced storytelling as deeply layered as that of Pat Conroy, Marjorie Hudson lays out the boundaries of a field that contains the soul of the South, and leads us to a day of reckoning."