Release Week: 2 July 2024

PICKS:

Broiler by Eli Cranor, read by Victoria Villarreal for Recorded Books -- "Gabriela Menchaca and Edwin Saucedo are hardworking, undocumented employees at the Detmer Foods chicken plant in Springdale, Arkansas, just a stone’s throw from the trailer park where they’ve lived together for seven years. While dealing with personal tragedies of their own, the young couple endures the brutal, dehumanizing conditions at the plant in exchange for barebones pay. When the plant manager, Luke Jackson, fires Edwin to set an example for the rest of the workers—and to show the higherups that he’s ready for a major promotion—Edwin is determined to get revenge."

MORE FICTION:

The God of the Woods: A Novel By: Liz Moore, read by Saskia Maarleveld for Penguin -- "Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found."
The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali, read by Mozhan Navabi and Nikki Massoud for Simon and Schuster -- "A heartfelt, epic new novel of friendship, betrayal, and redemption set against three transformative decades in Tehran, Iran."
A Hue of Blu By: Marie-France Leger, read by Caitlin Kelly and Nick Mondelli for Dreamscape -- "Bold, charismatic, and charming Blu Henderson wears a fake smile every day, pushing through life because she has to—not because she wants to. Quiet, introverted, and mysterious Jace Boland catches her eye the second she sees him. After that, it’s game over—not just for Blu, but for Jace as well. Drawn together by inexplicable attraction, a whirlwind connection forms that persists and torments, mends and breaks, and forces both Blu and Jace to confront the traumas of their past while trying to make their relationship work."

MORE SCI-FI and FANTASY:

A Fallen Sword: The Wolf and Viper Series, Book 1 By: Kaven Hirning, read by Abigail Reno for Dreamscape -- "A Guild of Criminals. A Guild of Heroes. One Holy Weapon. A book made entirely by rolling the dice."

SERIES WATCH:

The Undermining of Twyla and Frank: Hart and Mercy, Book 2 By: Megan Bannen, read by Nicol Zanzarella for Orbit -- "A heartwarming fantasy with a best friends-to-lovers rom com twist set in the delightful demigod and donut-filled world of Tanria."
The Down Deep: The Dust Knights, Book 1 By: Catherine Asaro, read by Morgan Hallett for Recorded Books -- A new series in her Skolian Empire universe: "For centuries The City of Cries—one of the most desired locales in the Skolian Imperialate—has existed by the thinnest of threads. On the dying world of Raylicon, the “haves” live in great luxury in Cries while the “havenots” scrape by, eking out a marginal existence in the notorious Undercity beneath the desert."

in progress:

7/1 Still the Sun by Charlie N. Holmberg

7/1 Excalibur The Arthurian Chronicles, Book 1 By: Peter Gibbons Narrated by: Sean Barrett

7/2 the night of baba yaga

7/2 The Night Ends With Fire

7/2 The Icarus Changeling

7/2 Deep Water: The World in the Ocean by James Bradley

7/2 Breaking the Dark: A Jessica Jones Marvel Crime Novel

7/2 The Moonlight Market A Novel By: Joanne Harris, read by the author for Simon and Schuster

7/2 Pink Slime A Novel By: Fernanda Trías Narrated by: Frankie Corzo for Simon and Schuster

7/2 The Gilded Crown The Raven's Trade, Book 1 By: Marianne Gordon Narrated by: Kristin Atherton for Harper

7/2 The Digital Aesthete: Human Musings on the Intersection of Art and AI edited by Alex Shvartsman, read by a full cast

7/2 Masquerade By: O.O. Sangoyomi Narrated by: Ariel Blake for Macmillan

7/2 The Failures Wanderlands, Book 1 By: Benjamin Liar Narrated by: John Skelley

7/2 Briefly, Very Beautiful A Novel By: Roz Dineen Narrated by: Henrietta Meire

7/2 Herald of Ruin: The Sanford Files Arkham Horror, Book 2 By: Tim Pratt Narrated by: Roman Howell

7/2 The Shadow on the Glass A Cthulhu by Gaslight Novel (Call of Cthulhu) By: Jonathan L. Howard Narrated by: Samuel Roukin

7/2 Made for You By: Jenna Satterthwaite Narrated by: Bailey Carr for Harlequin

7/2 two indie collections by Danielle Ackley-McPhail