Release Week: 2 April 2024
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Release Week: 2 April 2024
Posted on 2024-04-02 at 12:00 by Samuel Montgomery-Blinn
PICKS:
I Cheerfully Refuse By: Leif Enger, read by David Aaron Baker for Recorded Books -- "Set in a not-too-distant America, I Cheerfully Refuse is the tale of a bereaved and pursued musician embarking under sail on a sentient Lake Superior in search of his departed, deeply beloved, bookselling wife. Rainy, an endearing bear of an Orphean narrator, seeks refuge in the harbors, fogs, and remote islands of the inland sea. Encountering lunatic storms and rising corpses from the warming depths, Rainy finds on land an increasingly desperate and illiterate people, a malignant billionaire ruling class, crumbled infrastructure, and a lawless society. Amid the Gulliver-like challenges of life at sea and no safe landings, Rainy is lifted by physical beauty, surprising humor, generous strangers, and an unexpected companion in a young girl who comes aboard. And as his innate guileless nature begins to make an inadvertent rebel of him, Rainy’s private quest for the love of his life grows into something wider and wilder, sweeping up friends and foes alike in his strengthening wake."
A Short Walk Through a Wide World: A Novel By: Douglas Westerbeke, read by Saskia Maarleveld for Simon and Schuster -- "The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue meets Life of Pi in this dazzlingly epic debut that charts the incredible, adventurous life of one woman as she journeys the globe trying to outrun a mysterious curse that will destroy her if she stops moving."
Someone You Can Build a Nest In By: John Wiswell, read by Carmen Rose for Tantor -- "Shesheshen is a shapeshifter, who happily resides as an amorphous lump at the bottom of a ruined manor. When her rest is interrupted by hunters intent on murdering her, she constructs a body using a metal chain for a backbone, borrowed bones for limbs, and a bear trap as an extra mouth. However, the hunters chase Shesheshen out of her home and off a cliff. Badly hurt, she's found and nursed back to health by Homily, a warmhearted human, who has mistaken Shesheshen as a fellow human. Homily is kind and nurturing and would make an excellent coparent: an ideal place to lay Shesheshen's eggs so their young could devour Homily from the inside out. But as they grow close, she realizes humans don't think about love that way."
The Cemetery of Untold Stories By: Julia Alvarez, read by Alma Cuervo for Recorded Books -- "Alma Cruz, the celebrated writer at the heart of The Cemetery of Untold Stories, doesn’t want to end up like her friend, a novelist who fought so long and hard to finish a book that it threatened her sanity. So when Alma inherits a small plot of land in the Dominican Republic, her homeland, she has the beautiful idea of turning it into a place to bury her untold stories—literally. She creates a graveyard for the manuscript drafts and revisions, and the characters whose lives she tried and failed to bring to life and who still haunt her. Alma wants her characters to rest in peace. But they have other ideas, and the cemetery becomes a mysterious sanctuary for their true narratives."
Clear: A Novel By: Carys Davies, read by Russ Bain for Simon and Schuster -- "A stunning, exquisite novel from an award-winning writer about a minister dispatched to a remote island off of Scotland to “clear” the last remaining inhabitant, who has no intention of leaving—an unforgettable tale of resilience, change, and hope."
The Stone Home: A Novel By: Crystal Hana Kim, read by Jennifer Sun Bell, Sue Jean Kim, Intae Kim, and Greta Jung for Harper -- "A hauntingly poetic family drama and coming-of-age story that reveals a dark corner of South Korean history through the eyes of a small community living in a reformatory center."
The Titanic Survivors Book Club: A Novel By: Timothy Schaffert, read by Max Meyers for Random House -- "For weeks after the sinking of the Titanic, Yorick spots his own name among the list of those lost at sea. As an apprentice librarian for the White Star Line, his job was to curate the ship’s second-class library. But the day the Titanic set sail he was left stranded at the dock. After the ship’s sinking, Yorick takes this twist of fate as a sign to follow his lifelong dream of owning a bookshop in Paris. Soon after, he receives an invitation to a secret society of survivors where he encounters other ticket holders who didn’t board the ship. Haunted by their good fortune, they decide to form a book society, where they can grapple with their own anxieties."
Table for Two: Fictions by Amor Towles, read by Edoardo Ballerini for Books on Tape -- "From the bestselling author of The Lincoln Highway, A Gentleman in Moscow, and Rules of Civility, a richly detailed and sharply drawn collection of stories, including a novella featuring one of his most beloved characters."
The Black Girl Survives in This One: Horror Stories edited by Desiree S. Evans and Saraciea J. Fennell, with an introduction by Tananarive Due, read by Shayna Small for Macmillan -- "Celebrating a new generation of bestselling and acclaimed Black writers, The Black Girl Survives in This One makes space for Black girls in horror. Fifteen chilling and thought-provoking stories place Black girls front and center as heroes and survivors who slay monsters, battle spirits, and face down death."
Lake of Souls: The Collected Short Fiction By: Ann Leckie, read by Adjoa Andoh for Orbit -- "Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke award-winner Ann Leckie is a modern master of the SFF genre, forever changing its landscape with her groundbreaking ideas and powerful voice. Now, available for the first time comes the complete collection of Leckie's short fiction, including a brand new novelette."
A View from the Stars: Stories and Essays By: Cixin Liu, read by Brian Nishii for Macmillan -- "A range of short works from the past three decades of New York Times bestselling author Cixin Liu's prolific career, putting his nonfiction essays and short stories side-by-side for the first time. This collection includes essays and interviews that shed light on Liu's experiences as a reader, writer, and lover of science fiction throughout his life, as well as short fiction that gives glimpses into the evolution of his imaginative voice over the years."
NON-FICTION WATCH:
- Hell Put to Shame: The 1921 Murder Farm Massacre and the Horror of America's Second Slavery By: Earl Swift, read by Mark Deakins for Harper -- "From the acclaimed New York Times bestselling author of Chesapeake Requiem comes a gripping new work of narrative nonfiction telling the forgotten story of the mass killing of eleven Black farmhands on a Georgia plantation in the spring of 1921—a crime which exposed for the nation the existence of the “peonage system,” a form of legal enslavement established after the Civil War across the American South."
BACKLIST WATCH:
Hard to Be a God By: Arkady Strugatsky and Boris Strugatsky (1964), translated by Olena Bormashenko, read by Matt Addis for Random House -- "The story of Don Rumata, who is sent from Earth to the medieval kingdom of Arkanar with instructions to observe and to influence, but never to directly interfere. Masquerading as an arrogant nobleman, a dueler and a brawler, Don Rumata is never defeated but can never kill. With his doubt and compassion, and his deep love for a local girl named Kira, Rumata wants to save the kingdom from the machinations of Don Reba, the First Minister to the king. But given his orders, what role can he play?"
The State of the Art: Culture, Book 4 By: Iain M. Banks (1991), read by Peter Kenny for Orbit -- "This is a striking addition to the body of Culture lore, and adds definition and scale to the previous works by using the Earth of 1977 as contrast. The stories in the collection range from science fiction to horror, dark-coated fantasy to morality tale. All bear the indefinable stamp of Iain Banks's staggering talent."
Vigil: Verity Fassbender, Book 1 By: Angela Slatter (2017), read by Taryn Ryan for WF Howes -- "Verity Fassbinder has her feet in two worlds. The daughter of one human and one Weyrd parent, she has very little power herself, but does claim unusual strength and the ability to walk between one world and the other as a couple of her talents. A rarity, she is charged with keeping the peace, and ensuring the Weyrd remain hidden. But now Sirens are dying, illegal wine made from the tears of human children is for sale—and in the hands of those who hold to old, dangerous ways—and someone has released an unknown and terrifyingly destructive force on the streets of Brisbane."
Dracula Park By: Dana Grigorcea (2021), read by Sophie Roberts for WF Howes -- "In post-Communist Romania, on the border with Transylvania, the sleepy little town of B. is losing its young people to the West. A young painter returned from Paris and her eccentric great-aunt seem unconcerned with the decline of the town, until a mutilated corpse is found in the family crypt of Prince Vlad the Impaler, better known as Dracula. As the world's attention turns to B., the mayor and his son take advantage and turn the town into a vampire-inspired theme park. Tourists flock, but beneath the surface ancient horrors live on."
MORE FICTION:
The Reaper Follows By: Heather Graham, read by Roger Wayne for Harlequin -- "Deep in the Florida Everglades, the body of a woman is discovered in pieces, presumably ravaged by an alligator. Upon closer inspection, it’s determined no animal could make such perfectly precise cuts. Only a blade could do that. Wielded by a human. Soon, dozens of oil drums emerge amid the river of grass. Each one packed to the brim with body parts. FDLE special agent Amy Larson and her partner, FBI special agent Hunter Forrest, share a bad feeling that extends beyond the horrifying nature of the grim discovery. They’ve seen this kind of sadistic killing before, and when a small beige horse is discovered at the bottom of one of the barrels, they know exactly what it means. The fourth horseman of the apocalypse rides a pale horse—and his name is Death."
The House on Biscayne Bay By: Chanel Cleeton, read by Caroline Hewitt and Frankie Corzo for Penguin -- "With the Great War finally behind them, many Americans flock to South Florida with their sights set on making a fortune. When wealthy industrialist Robert Barnes and his wife, Anna, build Marbrisa, a glamorous estate on Biscayne Bay, they become the toast of the newly burgeoning society. Anna and Robert appear to have it all, but in a town like Miami, appearances can be deceiving, and one scandal can change everything. Years later following the tragic death of her parents in Havana, Carmen Acosta journeys to Marbrisa, the grand home of her estranged older sister, Carolina, and her husband, Asher Wyatt. On the surface, the gilded estate looks like paradise, but Carmen quickly learns that nothing at Marbrisa is as it seems."
The Orchids of Ashthorne Hall By: Rebecca Anderson, read by Elizabeth Knowelden for Blackstone -- "1887, the Cornwall coast. For years, rumors have flown through the village of Suttonsbury about Ashthorne Hall—that its occupants hoard pirate treasure, that a ghost walks its halls—but botanist Hyacinth Bell only cares about the estate’s extensive one-of-a-kind orchid collection. As an independent woman, she is eager to focus on her career, even if it means waiting to pursue a romantic relationship. After all, love—like an orchid—must be nurtured and tended before it can bloom. What she doesn’t expect is to be swept away by Lucas Harding, the manor’s caretaker, upon their first meeting. He is handsome and charming, and the connection between the two is nearly instantaneous. Hyacinth is certain this autumn will be the season that everything good in her life takes root. But then strange things start happening in the seemingly empty halls of the estate: unexplainable noises, items appearing then disappearing from her room, threatening messages, and glimpses of a woman in white who vanishes into the dark."
MORE SCI-FI and FANTASY:
First Contact: Eclipsed Evolution: Phase 1 By: Kim Harrison, read by Xe Sands for Penguin -- "In the wake of the solar eclipse, a portal between our world and a paranormal realm opens—and a scientist’s life will never be the same."
The Book of Thorns By: Hester Fox, read by Ell Potter and Fiona Hardingham for Harlequin -- "Penniless and stranded in France after a bid to escape her cruel uncle goes awry, Cornelia Shaw is far from the Parisian life of leisure she imagined. Desperate and lacking options, she allows herself to be recruited to Napoleon’s Grande Armée. As a naturalist, her near-magical ability to heal any wound with herbal mixtures invites awe amongst the soldiers…and suspicion. For behind Cornelia’s vast knowledge of the natural world is a secret she keeps hidden—the flowers speak to her through a mysterious connection she has felt since childhood. One that her mother taught her to heed, before she disappeared."
The Monstrous Misses Mai: A Novel By: Van Hoang, read by Elyse Dinh for Brilliance -- "A determined young woman in 1950s Los Angeles walks a darker city than she ever imagined in a spellbinding novel about the power to make dreams come true—whatever the sacrifice."
The Lies Among Us: A Novel By: Sarah Beth Durst, read by Soneela Nankani for Brilliance -- "After her mother dies, Hannah doesn’t know how to exist without her. Literally. In fact, Hannah’s not even certain that she does exist. No one seems to see or hear her, and she finds herself utterly alone. Grief-stricken and confused, her sense of self slowly slipping away, Hannah sets out to find new purpose in life—and answers about who (and what) she really is."
Four Minutes By: Jeffrey Wilson and Brian Andrews, read by Ray Porter for Blackstone -- "Special Operations Chief Tyler Brooks might not know quantum mechanics, or have an eidetic memory, but he is the very best in the world at one thing: leading covert ops. When an unpredictable enemy causes the catastrophic loss of his entire SEAL team, Brooks is recruited by Pat Moody to lead a new elite squad, Task Force Omega. Moody’s promise—access to mind-bending tech that grants a glimpse of the future. Together with Navy Intelligence Specialist Zee Williams, Brooks leads a new kind of counterterrorism task force, one that collects intel from the future to stop attacks in the present. But there’s a catch. Each mission can only last four minutes."
SERIES WATCH:
Paragon of Shadow: Paragon, Book 2 By: Luke Chmilenko and Alex Knight, read by Travis Baldree for Audible -- "Auric Cain found his chance. He proved himself, took control of his life, and became stronger than he ever thought possible. So why is everything falling apart? Literally."
City in Ruins: The Danny Ryan Trilogy, Book 3 By: Don Winslow, read by Ari Fliakos for Harper -- "Following City on Fire and City of Dreams, City in Ruins is the explosive, impossible to resist conclusion to New York Times bestselling author Don Winslow’s epic, genre-defining crime trilogy and the final book of Winslow's extraordinary career."
Sharpe’s Command: Richard Sharpe Novels, Book 14 By: Bernard Cornwell, read by Rupert Farley for Harper -- "The brand new novel from Bernard Cornwell in the global bestselling Sharpe series."
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire: The Official Movie Novelization By: Greg Keyes, read by Tim Campbell for Blackstone -- "The official novelization of the blockbuster Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, the latest film in the Monsterverse franchise."
Marvel: What If...Loki Was Worthy? A Loki & Valkyrie Story By: Madeleine Roux, read by Oliver Wyman for Random House -- "Loki and Valkyrie seek redemption in the first adventure of an epic new multiversal series that reimagines the origins of iconic Marvel heroes. Thor—Son of Odin, God of Thunder, Wielder of Mjolnir—is dead. And Loki is responsible. It was meant to be only a joke—tampering with the Destroyer, changing Thor’s course to Midgard—a bit of mischief with a chance of maiming. But Loki’s harmless prank spiraled out of control, unleashing death and destruction on New York City and the heroes sworn to protect it. The city was saved, at the cost of Thor’s life. Furious and heartbroken, the All-Father banishes Loki to Earth for his crime. Loki finds himself in a realm of boxed wine, instant noodles, and some sort of regional performance troupe known as the 'Buffalo Bills.'"
INDIE WATCH:
- The Phoenix Initiative: First Missions By: Chris Kennedy, Mark Wandrey, Kevin Ikenberry, Kacey Ezell, Marisa Wolf, Casey Moores, Nick Steverson, Jon R. Osborne, Melissa Olthoff, Mike Jack Stoumbos, David Shadoin, Dan Bridgwater, David Alan Jones, Benjamin Tyler Smith, and Charli Cox, read by Daniel Wisniewski -- "Nigel Shirazi, the Speaker of the Merc Guild, knows that war is coming and he’s not ready. He needs to build up the mercenary forces after years of war, and he’s proclaimed the Phoenix Initiative to give people who want to start new companies the opportunity to do so. CASPers are cheaper and financed at lower rates, and the government of Earth is offering bounties to take the mercs from alien races off the planet. Now is the time! Hearing the call to arms, a diverse group of startups, including a number of non-conventional ones and ones that originated on some of the colony worlds, have just taken their first missions. These are some of their stories."
MOST MISSING:
What Was Left Standing: A Story Collection by Mike Jasper (UnWrecked Press) -- "Whether it’s the return of a prodigal son to the family farm ("The Chicken Project"), the young high school teacher conscripted into refereeing a basketball game with his new school’s rivals from the nearby reservation ("Home Court Advantage"), or the impossible feats of a team of mixed-race baseball players long before the days of Jackie Robinson ("The Champ Escapes"), Jasper takes you on a guided tour of the human condition. This includes the dark sides as well as the bright."
The Wayward Mage Bounty: The Shadow Blades Chronicles, Book 3 by Patrick Dugan (Distracted Dragon Press) -- "After semi-successfully tracking down their missing person, one Elladon Kane, far across the land in the realm of the Elves, the Saria and the Shadow Blades are given yet another quest. But the reward for this one won’t be coin—it will be the very survival of Southern Holm. Saria was right about Brar Opalback. The sorceress’s interest in artifacts, according to Kane, will result in a dragon scourge that will put all previous monster invasions to shame if she’s not stopped. That is, if Kane can be trusted."
Disquiet Gods: Sun Eater, Book 6 By: Christopher Ruocchio (Baen) -- Audio delayed to 4/30 but it's coming, read by Samuel Roukin for Recorded Books.