Release Week: 22 July 2025

PICKS:

It Was Her House First By: Cherie Priest, read by Kristen DiMercurio, Cindy Kay, and Mark Bramhall for Sourcebooks -- "Silent film star Venita Rost's malevolent spirit lurks spider-like in her cliffside mansion, a once-beautiful home that's claimed countless unlucky souls. And she's not alone. Snared in her terrible web, Inspector Bartholomew Sloan—her eternal nemesis—watches her wreak havoc in helpless horror, shackled by his own guilt and Venita's unrelenting wrath. Now the house has yet another new owner. This time it's Ronnie Mitchell, a grieving woman who buys the run-down place sight unseen. She arrives armed with an unexpected inheritance, a strong background in renovation, and a blissful ignorance regarding the house's blood-soaked history. But her arrival has stirred up more than just dust and decay. In the shadows, unseen eyes watch. Then, a man comes knocking. He brings wild stories and a thinly veiled jealousy, as well as a secret connection to the house that can only lead to violence."
The Library at Hellebore By: Cassandra Khaw, read by Natalie Naudus
Volatile Memory By: Seth Haddon, read by Emily Gibbons Bouchard for Macmillan -- "This is How You Lose the Time War meets Ex Machina; a sapphic sci-fi action adventure novella."
Necessary Fiction: A Novel By: Eloghosa Osunde, read by a full cast for Penguin -- "From the acclaimed author of Vagabonds!: an audacious and eye-opening exploration of cross-generational queer life in Nigeria."

BACKLIST WATCH:

The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights By: John Steinbeck (1976) Narrated by: Nezar Alderazi for Penguin
The Stone Door By: Leonora Carrington (1976) Narrated by: Lorna Bennett for Tantor

SERIES WATCH:

Edmund, Accountant of the Night: Merseton Tales, Book 2 By: Angel Martinez Narrated by: Dan Calley
Angel Eye: The Cursebreakers Series, Book 2 By: Madeleine Nakamura Narrated by: Tim Lounibos
In Kazar: The Calamitous Bob, Book Two By: Alex Gilbert
Rhymer: Hel: Rhymer Trilogy, Book 3 By: Gregory Frost Narrated by: Alex Wyndham
The Last Wizards' Ball: Gunnie Rose, Book 6 By: Charlaine Harris Narrated by: Eva Kaminsky
The End of the End: Zombie Fallout, Book 25 By: Mark Tufo Narrated by: Sean Runnette

INDIE WATCH:

Physical Magic: The Shifting Lands, Book 1 By: William C. Tracy Narrated by: Adi Cabral

MOST MISSING:

The Knave of Graves by S.J. Shank (Carthago Nova Press) -- "Jeppo loathes his hometown and he can scarcely tolerate the townsfolk. Mostly, he despises his life as a gravedigger. He went to the Academy in the south, after all. He was never meant to take up his father’s shovel. When a wicked sorcerer arrives at his gate demanding the bones of the local saint, Jeppo has no objection in principle. But he fears the wrath of the night hag, to whom he has been selling corpses for years. Jeppo must choose the lesser of two evils, and do so quickly. The spiraling feud threatens to spill innocent blood … and worse still, his darkest secrets."

(in progress)

One Yellow Eye By: Leigh Radford Narrated by: Sofia Engstrand

The Phoenix Pencil Company A Novel By: Allison King

Salt Bones A Novel By: Jennifer Givhan Narrated by: Victoria Villarreal for Mulholland

Arcana Academy By: Elise Kova

Bonding: A Novel By: Mariel Franklin Narrated by: Ellie Kendrick