Release Week: 2 May 2023
← Release Week: 25 April 2023Release Week: 9 May 2023 →
Release Week: 2 May 2023
Posted on 2023-05-02 at 12:00 by Samuel Montgomery-Blinn
PICKS:
Something Bad Wrong: A Thriller By: Eryk Pruitt, read by Khristine Hvam, Aaron Shedlock, Patrick Lawlor, George Newbern, Chris Ruen, and David de Vries for Brilliance -- "To catch the killer who eluded her detective grandfather fifty years ago, a true-crime podcaster must contend with outdated evidence, ulterior motives, and the dark family secrets that got in the way."
The Salt Grows Heavy By: Cassandra Khaw, read by Susan Dalian for Macmillan -- "You may think you know how the fairytale goes: a mermaid comes to shore and weds the prince. But what the fables forget is that mermaids have teeth. And now, her daughters have devoured the kingdom and burned it to ashes. On the run, the mermaid is joined by a mysterious plague doctor with a darkness of their own. Deep in the eerie, snow-crusted forest, the pair stumble upon a village of ageless children who thirst for blood, and the three “saints” who control them."
Chain Gang All Stars: A Novel By: Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, read by Shayna Small, Aaron Goodson, Michael Crouch, and Lee Osorio for Random House -- "Loretta Thurwar and Hamara “Hurricane Staxxx” Stacker are the stars of Chain-Gang All-Stars, the cornerstone of CAPE, or Criminal Action Penal Entertainment, a highly-popular, highly-controversial, profit-raising program in America’s increasingly dominant private prison industry. It’s the return of the gladiators and prisoners are competing for the ultimate prize: their freedom."
The Ferryman: A Novel By: Justin Cronin, read by Scott Brick and Suzanne Elise Freeman for Random House -- "Founded by the mysterious genius known as the Designer, the archipelago of Prospera lies hidden from the horrors of a deteriorating outside world. In this island paradise, Prospera’s lucky citizens enjoy long, fulfilling lives until the monitors embedded in their forearms, meant to measure their physical health and psychological well-being, fall below 10 percent. Then they retire themselves, embarking on a ferry ride to the island known as the Nursery, where their failing bodies are renewed, their memories are wiped clean, and they are readied to restart life afresh."
The Marriage Act: A Novel By: John Marrs, read by John Marrs, Clare Corbett, Nathalie Buscombe, David Monteith, Dugald Bruce-Lockhart, and Joshua Riley for Harlequin -- "Britain. The near-future. A right-wing government believes it has the answer to society’s ills—the Sanctity of Marriage Act, which actively encourages marriage as the norm, punishing those who choose to remain single. But four couples are about to discover just how impossible relationships can be when the government is monitoring every aspect of our personal lives—monitoring every word, every minor disagreement…and will use every tool in its arsenal to ensure everyone will love, honor and obey."
Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? A Novel by Crystal Smith Paul, read by Ariel Blake, Kineta Kunutu, and Lynnette Nicholas for Macmillan -- "When Kitty Karr Tate, a White icon of the silver screen, dies and bequeaths her multimillion-dollar estate to the St. John sisters, three young, wealthy Black women, it prompts questions. Lots of questions. A celebrity in her own right, Elise St. John would rather focus on sorting out Kitty’s affairs than deal with the press. But what she discovers in one of Kitty’s journals rocks her world harder than any other brewing scandal could—and between a cheating fiancé and the fallout from a controversial social media post, there are plenty. The truth behind Kitty's ascent to stardom from her beginnings in the segregated South threatens to expose a web of unexpected family ties, debts owed, and debatable crimes that could, with one pull, unravel the all-American fabric of the St. John sisters and those closest to them."
Clytemnestra By: Costanza Casati, read by Olivia Vinall for Recorded Books -- "Meet Clytemnestra, the most notorious heroine of the Ancient World. You are born to a king, but marry a tyrant. You stand helplessly as he sacrifices your child to placate the gods. You watch him wage war on a foreign shore and you comfort yourself with violent thoughts of your own. You play the part, fooling enemies who deny you justice. And slowly, you plot. But when your husband returns in triumph, what then?"
Dulcinea: A Novel By: Ana Veciana-Suarez, read by January LaVoy for Blackstone -- "The daughter of a wealthy merchant, young Dolça Llull Prat is besotted with the dashing, bootstrapping Miguel Cervantes from their first meeting. Despite Miguel’s entreaties, the ever-practical Dolça, with her love of luxury and her devotion to her own art, repeatedly refuses to upend her life for him, although she always welcomes his attentions on her own terms. When Miguel renders her as the lowly Dulcinea in his great Quixote, revealing their association, he commits an unforgivable offense and their decades-long affinity is severed—until he reaches out to her one last time."
Not Alone: A Novel by Sarah K. Jackson, read by Helen Keeley for Random House -- "Five years ago, a microplastic storm wiped out most of the population. No infrastructure. No safe havens. No goodbyes. Since then, Katie and Harry have lived in isolation in their small flat outside London. Katie forages, hunts the surviving animal population, and provides for Harry, who was born after the storm, and who has never left their little home. After years without human contact, Katie and Harry are shocked by the arrival of a threatening newcomer, just as Katie’s persistent cough seems to have taken a turn for the worse. But this proof of life beyond their familiar environment spurs Katie to undertake a previously unthinkable journey, in search of her fiancé, Jack, who never came home the day of the storm, and a different kind of life for Harry."
Swamp Story: a Novel by Dave Barry, read by the author for Simon and Schuster -- "Jesse Braddock is trapped in a tiny cabin deep in the Everglades with her infant daughter and her ex-boyfriend, a wannabe reality TV star who turned out to be a lot prettier on the outside than on the inside. Broke and desperate for a way out, Jesse stumbles across a long-lost treasure, which could solve all her problems—if she can figure out how to keep it. The problem is, some very bad men are also looking for the treasure, and they know Jesse has it."
Shy By: Max Porter, read by Joe Gaminara for Dreamscape -- "Porter extends the excavation of boyhood that began with Grief Is the Thing with Feathers and continued with Lanny. But here he asks the question How does mischievous wonder and anarchic energy curdle into something more disturbing and violent? A bravura, lyric, music-besotted performance by one of the great writers of his generation."
NON-FICTION WATCH:
His Majesty's Airship: the Life and Tragic Death of the World's Largest Flying Machine by S. C. Gwynne, read by Nicholas Boulton for Simon and Schuster -- "A stunning historical tale of the rise and fall of the world's largest airship—and the doomed love story between an ambitious British officer and a married Romanian Princess at its heart."
Merchants of the Right: Gun Sellers and the Crisis of American Democracy By: Jennifer Carlson, read by Jennifer Cole for Princeton University Press -- "An eye-opening portrait of the gun sellers who navigated the social turmoil leading up to the January 6 Capitol attack."
Got Your Number: The Greatest Sports Legends and the Numbers They Own by Mike Greenberg with Paul "Hembo" Hembekides, read by Greenberg for Hyperion Avenue -- "In short essays certain to provoke debate between and amongst all generations, Greeny uses his lifetime of sports knowledge to spin yarns of the legends among the legends and tell you why some have claimed their spot in the top 100 of all time."
YOUNG ADULT WATCH:
Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley, read by Isabella Star LaBlanc for Macmillan -- "Perry Firekeeper-Birch was ready for her Summer of Slack but instead, after a fender bender that was entirely not her fault, she's stuck working to pay back her Auntie Daunis for repairs to the Jeep. Thankfully she has the other outcasts of the summer program, Team Misfit Toys, and even her twin sister Pauline. Together they ace obstacle courses, plan vigils for missing women in the community, and make sure summer doesn't feel so lost after all. But when she attends a meeting at a local university, Perry learns about the "Warrior Girl", an ancestor whose bones and knife are stored in the museum archives, and everything changes. Perry has to return Warrior Girl to her tribe."
From the World of Percy Jackson: Sun and the Star: A Nico di Angelo Adventure By: Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro, read by A.J. Beckles for Disney Hyperion -- "Demigods Nico di Angelo and Will Solace must endure the terrors of Tartarus to rescue an old friend."
YOUNG READER WATCH:
- The One and Only Ruby by Katherine Applegate, read by Imani Parks for Harper -- "From beloved powerhouse author Katherine Applegate comes The One and Only Ruby, starring the adorable baby elephant from the Newbery Medal-winning modern classic The One and Only Ivan and its bestselling sequel, The One and Only Bob."
BACKLIST WATCH:
The Seventh Gate: A Death Gate Novel, Volume 7 by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman (1991), read by Fajer Al-Kaisi for Random House -- "Alfred, Haplo, and Marit embark on a journey of death and discovery as they seek to enter the dreaded Seventh Gate. Encountering enemies both old and new, they unleash a magic no power can control, damning themselves to an apocalypse of unimagined proportion in a final struggle between good and evil."
The Fire Dragon: The Dragon Mage, Book 3 By: Katharine Kerr (2001), read by Ruth Urquhart for Tantor -- "The final chapter begins in the holy city as it rises from the ashes of Deverry's long wars. Prince Maryn prepares to claim the high kingship, but still the rebel Boar clan stands fast against him. And at court, his illicit passion for the young dweomer apprentice, Lilli, threatens to revive a curse that only she—at her own peril—can lift."
Find the Jinn: Wilde Contracts Series, Book 1 By: Maz Maddox (2021), read by Kirt Graves for Tantor -- "Trained to handle even the fiercest undead, Dallas Wilde took out a powerful necromancer without breaking a sweat. Okay, that's a lie—there was tons of sweat, but he was victorious all the same. Unfortunately, killing a necromancer comes with some repercussions. Broody, annoying, vampire repercussions and new abilities to resurrect the dead. Can Dallas navigate his blood-sucking bodyguard, new powers, feelings for his attractive client and still handle his contract in time to pay his very, very late rent—all while trying not to get super murdered in the process?"
MORE SCI-FI and FANTASY:
For Love of Magic By: Simon R. Green, read by Steve West for Blackstone -- "History isn’t what you think it is. It’s been rewritten to remove all the magic. Together, two people decide to put things right."
Spring's Arcana: The Dead God's Heart, Book 1 By: Lilith Saintcrow, read by Barrie Kreinik for Macmillan -- "Nat Drozdova is desperate to save a life. Doctors can do little for her cancer-ridden mother, who insists there is only one cure—and that Nat must visit a skyscraper in Manhattan to get it. Amid a snow-locked city, inside a sleek glass-walled office, Nat makes her plea and is whisked into a terrifying new world. For the skyscraper holds a hungry winter goddess who has the power to cure her mother…if Nat finds a stolen object of great power."
A Portrait in Shadow By: Nicole Jarvis, read by Carlotta Brentan for Dreamscape -- "When Artemisia Gentileschi arrives in Florence seeking a haven for her art, she faces instant opposition from the powerful Accademia, self-proclaimed guardians of the healing and necrotic magic that protect the city from plague and curses. As artists create their masterpieces, they add layer upon layer of magic drawn from their very life essence into the paint or marble, draining their power but producing works that will heal hundreds and inspire generations. The all-male Accademia jealously guards its power over art and architecture and has no place for an ambitious young woman arriving from Rome under a cloud of scandal."
The Sword Defiant: Lands of the Firstborn, Book 1 By: Gareth Hanrahan, read by George Weightman for Orbit -- "Set in a world of dark myth and dangerous prophecy, this thrilling fantasy launches an epic tale of daring warriors, living weapons, and bloodthirsty vengeance."
Fourth Wing: Fourth Wing, Book 1 By: Rebecca Yarros, read by Rebecca Soler, Teddy Hamilton for Recorded Books -- "Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders."
MORE FICTION:
No Two Persons: A Novel by Erica Bauermeister, read by Barrie Kreinik for Macmillan -- "Alice has always wanted to be a writer. Her talent is innate, but her stories remain safe and detached, until a devastating event breaks her heart open, and she creates a stunning debut novel. Her words, in turn, find their way to readers, from a teenager hiding her homelessness, to a free diver pushing himself beyond endurance, an artist furious at the world around her, a bookseller in search of love, a widower rent by grief. Each one is drawn into Alice's novel; each one discovers something different that alters their perspective, and presents new pathways forward for their lives."
The Bird Hotel: A Novel By: Joyce Maynard, read by the author for Audible -- "After a childhood filled with heartbreak, Irene, a talented artist, finds herself in a small Central American village where she checks into a beautiful but decaying lakefront hotel called La Llorona at the base of a volcano. The Bird Hotel tells the story of this young American who, after suffering tragedy, restores and runs La Llorona. Along the way we meet a rich assortment of characters who live in the village or come to stay at the hotel. With a mystery at its center and filled with warmth, drama, romance, humor, pop culture, and a little magical realism."
You Are Here: A Novel By: Karin Lin-Greenberg, read by Jennifer Aquino for HighBridge -- "The inhabitants of a small town have long found that their lives intersect at one focal point: the local shopping mall. But business is down, stores are closing, and as the institution breathes its last gasp, the people inside it dream of something different, something more."
Paper Names: A Novel by Susie Luo, read by Austin Ku for Harlequin -- "An unexpected act of violence brings together a Chinese-American family and a wealthy white lawyer in this propulsive and sweeping story of family, identity and the American experience."
Simply Lies by David Baldacci, read by Lisa Flanagan for Hachette -- "A twisting psychological thriller in which two women—one a former detective, the other a dangerous con artist—go head-to-head in an electrifying game of cat and mouse."
SERIES WATCH:
The Covenant of Water By: Abraham Verghese, read by the author for Recorded Books -- "She is twelve years old, and she will be married in the morning. Mother and daughter lie on the mat, their wet cheeks glued together. “The saddest day of a girl’s life is the day of her wedding,” her mother says. “After that, God willing, it gets better.” And so begins the decade-in-the-making follow-up to Cutting For Stone."
In an Orchard Grown from Ash: The Wind-up Garden series, Book 2 By: Rory Power, read by Jesse Vilinsky for Random House -- "Siblings torn apart by betrayal grapple with their broken bonds—and fight to regain their power—in this stunning conclusion to a mythic epic fantasy duology."
Fall of the School for Good and Evil: Rise, Book 2 by Soman Chainani, read by Kit Young for Harper -- "Two brothers. One Good. One Evil. In exchange for power and immortality, they watch over the Endless Woods and rule the School for Good and Evil. Yet all School Masters must face a test. Theirs is loyalty."
Lords of Uncreation: The Final Architecture, Book 3 By: Adrian Tchaikovsky, read by Sophie Aldred for Orbit -- "This third and final novel in an extraordinary space opera trilogy depicts humanity on the brink of extinction—and reveals how one man's discovery will save or destroy us all."
The Shattered Horn: Bravelands: Thunder on the Plains, Book 1 by Erin Hunter, read by James Fouhey for Harper -- "A thrilling new arc in Erin Hunter's bestselling Bravelands series! Set in the African highlands and told from three different animals' points of view, this is a perfect adventure for dedicated fans and readers new to the Bravelands world."
TIE-IN WATCH:
- Miles Morales Suspended: A Spider-Man Novel By: Jason Reynolds, read by Guy Lockard and Nile Bullock for Simon and Schuster -- "Miles Morales is still just your average teenager. He has unexpectedly become totally obsessed with poetry and can never seem to do much more than babble around his crush. Nothing too weird. Oh! Except, just yesterday, he used his spidey superpowers to save the world (no biggie) from an evil mastermind called The Warden."
INDIE WATCH:
Cruel Empire: The Rebels Path, Book 1 By: Robyn Wideman and JK Daniels, read by Brian Nishii for Podium -- "In the Empire, cultivation is restricted. Weapons are forbidden. Tyranny reigns. When disaster strikes for Oren and his family, there is only one choice: flee the local magistrate and his arrogant son who wants to destroy their family."
Tempus Fugitive: Mission 1: Black Ocean: Passage of Time, Book 1 by J.S. Morin, read by Mikael Naramore for Magical Scrivener Press -- "Jessie and Eric Ramsey have a family history of crime. Fighting back against heredity, each tried to make their way in the galaxy by respectable means. Jessie joined Earth Navy; Eric went to college for magic. But fate wasn’t having it. Eric was expelled. Jessie went AWOL. Now, due to a magical mishap that wasn’t entirely anyone’s fault (we swear!), they’re stranded five years in the future on a Mars that’s no longer friendly territory. Caught behind enemy lines in a galactic civil war they didn’t know about, the pair need every trick in their respective books to survive on Mars long enough to escape. Along the way, they’ll meet old friends and make new foes, and if they’re very lucky, manage to figure out where they belong in this new galactic order."
The Green Cathedral By: Kerry McDonald and Lee Tidball, read by Kevin Kenerly for Level 4 -- "As a DEA agent caught in an unwinnable drug war, Abel has spent his life with the ugliest side of humanity. It’s no wonder he’s given in to corruption, bribery, and an illegal side-hustle that has him on the run from some of the most dangerous men in South America. Then he stumbles on a deadly, abandoned alien girl who has made a home under the green canopy of the deepest part of the jungle. Her space craft crash-landed a decade ago; his life crashed and burned well before that. As this unlikely pair grows closer, Abel will realize that his dark past has tracked him down and threatens to destroy the very beauty he has fallen in love with. For the first time in his life, he can sacrifice all he is to save the one he loves."
MOST MISSING:
This Island Earth by Dale Bailey (PS Publishing) -- "Inspired by the drive-in epics of the 1950s, the stories in This Island Earth marry the exuberance of Eisenhower-era sci-fi movies to nuanced examinations of love, family, fear, and loss—without leaving the robots and ray guns behind. These stories abound with the bug-eyed monsters and irradiated highschoolers you remember from the late-night Creature Feature. But they transcend nostalgia to illuminate the complications of the human heart with wit and compassion."
Lost Places: Stories by Sarah Pinsker collection (Small Beer Press) -- "A half-remembered children's TV show. A hotel that shouldn't exist. A mysterious ballad. A living flag. Nebula and Hugo Award-winning author Sarah Pinsker's second collection brings together a seemingly eclectic group of stories that unite behind certain themes: her touchstones of music and memory are joined by stories about secret subversions and hidden messages in art. Her stories span and transcend genre labels, looking for the truth in strange situations from possible futures to impossible pasts."
The Last Vanishing Man and Other Stories by Matthew Cheney (Third Man Books) -- "Magic stops. Men vanish. Worlds end. Life goes on."
Night's Plutonian Shore by Garrett Boatman (Macabre Ink) -- "Researching sustainable energy, Rick’s best friend Wally has discovered a means to tap into the bioplasmic energy field that surrounds all living things. He envisions trains and office towers running off collective psi. But when he invites his friends to test his psychotronic generator, they unleash demons residing in the human old brain, the seat of aggression and primal drives. As the body count rises, it becomes clear, for these creatures of the id to survive, their creators must die."
Sleep and the Soul: Stories by Greg Egan -- Ten stories from Hugo Award-winning author Greg Egan: “You and Whose Army?”, “This Is Not the Way Home”, “Zeitgeber”, “Crisis Actors”, “Sleep and the Soul”, “After Zero”, “Dream Factory”, “Light Up the Clouds”, “Night Running”, and “Solidity”.
Seeds of War: The Smokesmiths, Book 1 by Joao F. Silva -- "GIMLORE is a single mother and war veteran turned crime boss set on protecting her family and her town. ORBERESIS is a petty thief pretending to be God to protect a terrible secret. REDNOW is the world's most feared mercenary, but his best days are behind him and there's one job left to do. In a world of dangerous monsters and devastating smoke magic, the seeds of war are being planted. Allies must be treasured and enemies defeated."
The Alchemy of Letting Go by Amber Morrell (Albert Whitman & Company) -- "Twelve-year-old Juniper Edwards can’t stop chasing the endangered butterfly her sister died trying to catch. In her grief, Juniper finds comfort in her family’s study of insects, because science is based on logic, order, and control. But then Juniper’s search for the butterfly nearly kills her, too, and when she wakes up with newfound abilities, she discovers that the line between science and magic―and life and death―is not as solid as she thought."