Release Week: 18 February 2025

Posted on 2025-02-18 at 12:00 by Samuel Montgomery-Blinn

MORE SCI-FI and FANTASY:

• My Funny Demon Valentine by Aurora Ascher, read by Kirsten Leigh for Recorded Books -- "Clearly, for Ash, a career as a musician isn't exactly an option. Plus, he's cursed. Sick of playing by the rules, Ash and his three brothers escape Hell in search of freedom on Earth. But it's harder than they thought to keep their enemies off their tail. The four rogues quickly become the Underworld's Most Wanted, and if they're caught, the consequences will be dire. Yet everything changes for Ash when he meets a beautiful violinist who can see through his curse. It must be too good to be true, but, no matter the risk, he has to have her."

• Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis, read by Amanda Leigh Cobb for Macmillan -- "In a Gaslamp-lit world where hags and ogres lurk in thick pine forests, three magical queens form an uneasy alliance to protect their lands from invasion…and love turns their world upside down."

• A Curse for the Homesick by Laura Brooke Robson, read by Ruth Urquhart for Harlequin -- "On Stenland, there comes a time known as skeld season: one day, any woman on the island can wake with three black lines on her forehead, the mark of a skeld. Skeld season comes around without warning, and while each window of time lasts only three months, anyone a skeld turns to stone is very much dead. That's how Tess’s mother killed Soren’s parents. Maybe for this reason alone, Tess and Soren should not have fallen in love. "

• The House of Light and Shadow by Lauren Westwood, read by Laura Kirman for Boldwood -- "When Kate goes to look after her estranged sister’s children in their creepy old house, she takes a photo of what seems to be a ghost. Frightened yet intrigued, Kate undertakes to uncover the secrets of the house and the two mysterious sisters who lived there over a hundred years before. But like the illusions of light and shadow in the sisters’ strange and disturbing Victorian post-mortem photography, Kate discovers that all is not what it seems."

BACKLIST PICKS:

• The Wings upon Her Back by Samantha Mills (2024), read by Amy Hall for Scribd -- One of my most missing audiobooks of 2024, here already, woo hoo! "In this gripping debut novel from acclaimed Nebula, Sturgeon, and Locus Award-winning author Samantha Mills, a disgraced soldier fights to make sense of her world and the gods who abandoned it."

• Joy: A Novel by Angelo R. Lacuesta (2022), read by Richard Klein for Random House -- "Ariston Letrero is a renaissance man: audio producer, insurance salesman, musician, composer, part-time fast food mascot, and a philanderer who quickly and quietly abandons his wife and son, Lucas, at the peak of his mottled career, for a new life in America with his lover Odette. Years and years later, he sends an email to his son, Lucas Letrero, an advertising man who has been brought up on super robot cartoons, Catholic school truisms, and a diet of fast food and loneliness, and who has reconnected with his childhood sweetheart Dedes, who has made a post-annulment life for herself in America. In the 30-odd years in between is a story that sings songs and anthems of identity, relations, loneliness, and loss, and how they figure in the lives of contemporary Filipinos who are not scattered across space and time, but who are also connected and separated at the same time."

• Fury by Clyo Mendoza (2021), translated by Christina MacSweeney (2024), read by Cynthia Farrell for Tantor -- "A novel of extraordinary beauty where language embarks on a hallucinatory trip through eroticism, the transitions of conscience, and the possibility of multiple beings inhabiting a single body. In this journey through madness, incest, sexual abuse, infidelity, and silence, Fury offers a moving questioning of the complexity of love and suffering. The desert is where these characters' destinies become intertwined, where their wounds are inherited and bled dry. Listeners will be blown away by the sensitivity of the writing, and will shudder at the way violence conveyed with a poetic forcefulness and a fierce mastery of the Mexican oral tradition."

MORE BACKLIST:

• The Book of Skulls by Robert Silverberg (1972), read by Samuel Eldritch and Will Watt for WF Howes -- "Four students discover a manuscript, The Book of Skulls, which reveals the existence of a sect, now living in the Arizona desert, whose members can offer immortality to those who can complete its initiation rite. To their surprise, they discover that the sect exists, and is willing to accept them as acolytes. But for each group of four who enter the rite, two must die in order for the others to succeed."

• Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, translated by Constance Garnett (1914), read by David Bendena for Dreamscape -- "The story of Rodion Raskolnikov, an ex-student who plans to murder a pawnbroker to test his theory of personality. Having accomplished the deed, Raskolnikov struggles with mental anguish while trying to both avoid the consequences and hide his guilt from his friends and family."

• Wild Rain: A Leopard Novel, Book 2 By: Christine Feehan (2004), read by James McAdams for Recorded Books -- "Explores the dark past of a woman on the run—and her dark desire for the only man she dares to trust."

INDIE WATCH:

• The Lazy Witch's Guide to Vampires & Villainy By: Jessica Gadziala, read by Savannah Thomas and Patrick Zeller for Podium -- "Roxanne Caulderone is not a witch who enjoys adventure. She's perfectly happy curling up on her couch, munching on snacks, binge-watching her favorite shows, and fostering a borderline problematic online shopping addiction while letting her spell vending machine do all the work for her. That is until a handsome, brooding vampire tricks his way into her life."

• Dark Whisperings: The Dark Whisperings Saga, Book 1 and Dark Path: The Dark Whisperings Saga, Book 2 by Maria Dembouski, read by Dallin Bradford -- "There isn't just one world. There's two. Monsters roam about their lands, but they are not free. They are caged; they are prisoners. Their one escape is that of a Dreamer, an individual born with a gift to dream into The Realm, the monsters' home. If a Dreamer fails to kill these nightmarish beasts there, they escape to The Waking World, our world. There, they are free. There, they can wreak havoc. There, they reign. Fiske, a Dreamer and known thief, has his world turned upside down when he happens across a blind boy with no home to call his own. Their paths quickly become intertwined, but the friendships and pleasantries must face the dark forces that surround their world."

• Animal Husbandry: And Other Fictions by Jeff Fleischer (2024), read by Sebastian Brown -- "Mythology, from animal fables to imaginary friends to the myths people tell themselves. In some cases, the myths are fantastical: a farmer finds his cow has given birth to a surprising offspring; a guitarist tries to improve his skills with a visit to the crossroads; or a young girl meets with a visitor in the woods to plot against her neighbors. Others concern everyday mythology: a small-town ballplayer struggles to earn a nickname; a man's clean bill of health arrives at the worst possible time; or a long-retired screen actress receives a letter that makes her confront her past."

• The Dragon's Gambit: Underkeeper, Book 1 By: Hankthemoose, read by Daniel Thomas May for Tantor -- "Bernt might have graduated from the Mage Academy, but not everyone has the money or connections to launch a prestigious career as a mage."

WTF WATCH:

• I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I'm Trapped in a Rom-Com by Kimberly Lemming, read by Hazel Addison for Penguin -- Look, we see titles and covers like this by the dozens, but this one is coming out from Penguin Audio by the Orbit-published author of "That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf" and despite myself I have to be at least curious what is going on here: "A hilarious and sexy romance about a woman who gets dropped on a strange planet only to fall for not one, but two, aliens."

MOST MISSING:

• The Viscount St. Albans: Love In Netherford, Book 2 by Natania Barron (Solaris) -- The first book was a bit Downton Abbey and Witches. This one is billed as more "Sense and Sensibility and Vampires": "Silas Drake, the Viscount St. Albans, is one of the most desirable bachelors in England: approaching thirty, wealthy, and poised to inherit his father’s seat in Parliament. His aunt, the dowager viscountess, insists he marries well, and soon—or she’ll take matters into her own hands. But his love belongs to Viola Brightwell, who is a commoner of modest means... and a vampire. Newly transformed after the recent battle to save Netherford, Viola rages in a locked room in Silas’s mansion, wrestling with the violent passions of her new affliction. As Silas struggles to balance the demands of his rank with the desires of his heart, he finds himself at the centre of a conspiracy by ancient and terrible powers..."

FEATURED PICK:

• Picks and Shovels by Cory Doctorow, read by Wil Wheaton -- The latest Kickstarter-backed "Martin Hench" novel! "Doctorow returns to the world of Red Team Blues to bring us the origin story of Martin Hench and the most powerful new tool for crime ever invented: the personal computer. The year is 1986. The city is San Francisco. Here, Martin Hench will invent the forensic accountant--what a bounty hunter is to people, he is to money--but for now he's an MIT dropout odd-jobbing his way around a city still reeling from the invention of a revolutionary new technology that will change everything about crime forever, one we now take completely for granted. When Marty finds himself hired by Silicon Valley PC startup Fidelity Computing to investigate a group of disgruntled ex-employees who've founded a competitor startup, he quickly realizes he's on the wrong side. Marty ditches the greasy old guys running Fidelity Computing without a second thought, utterly infatuated with the electric atmosphere of Computing Freedom. Located in the heart of the Mission, this group of brilliant young women found themselves exhausted by the predatory business practices of Fidelity Computing and set out to beat them at their own game, making better computers and driving Fidelity Computing out of business. But this optimistic startup, fueled by young love and California-style burritos, has no idea the depth of the evil they're seeking to unroot or the risks they run. In this company-eat-company city, Martin and his friends will be lucky to escape with their lives." (Note: don't look for it at Audible, as since they require DRM, Doctorow's audiobooks are not available there. LibroFM has it, and likely Downpour and other places will as well.)

MORE PICKS:

• Dream State: A Novel by Eric Puchner, read by MacLeod Andrews for Random House -- "Cece is in love. She has arrived early at her future in-laws’ lake house in Salish, Montana, to finish planning her wedding to Charlie, a young doctor with a brilliant life ahead of him. Charlie has asked Garrett, his best friend from college, to officiate the ceremony, though Cece can’t imagine anyone more ill-suited for the task—an airport baggage handler haunted by a tragedy from his and Charlie’s shared past. But as Cece spends time with Garrett, his gruff mask slips, and she grows increasingly uncertain about her future. And why does Garrett, after meeting Cece, begin to feel, well, human again? As a contagious stomach flu threatens to scuttle the wedding, and Charlie and Garrett’s friendship is put to the ultimate test, Cece must decide between the life she’s dreamed of and a life she’s never imagined."

• Salutation Road by Salma Ibrahim, read by Kosar Ali for Mantle -- "Twenty-three-year-old Sirad Ali is a woman adrift. Abandoned by her father in childhood, doing her best to support her mother and younger brother in their small flat in South London, she can’t help but wonder if this is the life she really wants. One morning, Sirad boards her bus to work and finds herself transported to an alternate timeline in present-day Mogadishu. Over the course of a single day, under the sweltering East African sun, Sirad must contend with a lost reality. There she encounters an almost unrecognizable version of her family and comes face to face with her double, Ubah – the woman she could have been, had her parents never fled to London during the Somali Civil War. Back home in Greenwich, Sirad must go on with life, consumed by all she now knows. But then Ubah mysteriously appears in London, and Sirad begins to understand that nothing will ever be the same again."

• Hungerstone, by Kat Dunn, read by Perdita Weeks for Zando -- A compulsive feminist reworking of Carmilla, the queer novella that inspired Dracula: "It’s the height of the industrial revolution and ten years into Lenore’s marriage to steel magnate Henry, their relationship has soured. When Henry’s ambitions take them from London to the remote British moorlands to host a hunting party, a shocking carriage accident brings the mysterious Carmilla into their lives. Carmilla, who is weak and pale during the day but vibrant at night. Carmilla, who stirs up something deep within Lenore. And before long, girls from the local villages fall sick, consumed by a terrible hunger."

• Upon a Starlit Tide By Kell Woods, read by Esther Wane for Macmillan -- "A dark and enchanting historical fantasy combining elements of "The Little Mermaid" and "Cinderella" into a wholly original tale of love, power, and betrayal."

• The Garden by Nick Newman, read by Nicolette McKenzie for Penguin -- "In a place and time unknown, two elderly sisters live in a walled garden, secluded from the outside world. Evelyn and Lily have only ever known each other. What was before the garden, they have forgotten; what lies beyond it, they do not know. Each day is spent in languid service to their home: tending the bees, planting the crops, and dutifully following the instructions of the almanac written by their mother. When a nameless boy is found hiding in the boarded house at the center of their isolated grounds, their once-solitary lives are irrevocably disrupted. Who is he? Where did he come from? And most importantly, what does he want?"

• The Echoes: A Novel by Evie Wyld, read by Sebastian Humphreys and Vivien Carter for Random House -- "Max didn’t believe in an afterlife. Until he died. Now, as a reluctant ghost trying to work out why he is still here, he watches his girlfriend, Hannah, lost in grief in the apartment they shared and begins to realize how much of her life was invisible to him. In the weeks and months before Max’s death, Hannah was haunted by the secrets she left Australia to escape. A relationship with Max seemed to offer the potential of a fresh new chapter, but the past refused to stay hidden."

• Ibis: A Novel By Justin Haynes, read by M.L. Sanchez for Tantor -- "There is bad luck in New Felicity. The people of the small coastal village have taken in Milagros, an eleven-year-old Venezuelan refugee, just as Trinidad's government has begun cracking down on undocumented migrants—and now an American journalist has come to town asking questions. New Felicity's superstitious fishermen fear the worst, certain they've brought bad luck on the village by killing a local witch who had herself murdered two villagers the year before. The town has been plagued since her death by alarming visits from her supernatural mother, as well as by a mysterious profusion of scarlet ibis birds. Skittish that the reporter's story will bring down the wrath of the ministry of national security, the fishermen take things into their own hands."

• Nesting: A Novel by Roisín O'Donnell, read by Louisa Harland for Algonquin -- "In this beautiful, urgent, and ultimately uplifting novel by a rising Irish literary star comes a heart-pounding, life-affirming story about one woman trying to leave her marriage and start over."

• Maya & Natasha: A Novel by Elyse Durham, read by Yelena Shmulenson for Harper -- "Maya and Natasha are twin sisters born in the midst of the Siege of Leningrad in 1941 and immediately abandoned by their mother, a prima ballerina at the Kirov Ballet who would rather die than not dance. Taken in by their mother’s best friend at the Kirov, the girls are raised to be dancers themselves. The Vaganova Ballet Academy—and the totalitarian Soviet regime—is the only world they know. In 1958, now seniors at the Vaganova at the height of the Cold War, all Maya and Natasha and their classmates want is to dance with the Kirov, and to join the company on its tour to America next year. But a new law from the Kremlin upends Maya and Natasha’s lives: due to fears of defection, family members may no longer travel abroad together. The Kirov can only accept one of them."

NON-FICTION WATCH:

• Why Nothing Works: Who Killed Progress—and How to Bring It Back By: Marc J. Dunkelman, read by David de Vries for PublicAffairs -- "A provocative exploration about the architecture of power, the forces that stifle us from getting things done, and how we can restore confidence in democratically elected government."

• Daughter of Daring: The Trick-Riding, Train-Leaping, Road-Racing Life of Helen Gibson, Hollywood's First Stuntwoman by Mallory O'Meara, read by the author for Harlequin -- "The story of America's first professional stuntwoman, Helen Gibson, who rose to fame during a time when women ruled Hollywood."

• Lorne: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live by Susan Morrison, read by Kristen DiMercurio for Books on Tape -- " The definitive biography of Lorne Michaels, the man behind America’s most beloved comedy show."

YOUNG ADULT WATCH:

• The Girl You Know by Elle Gonzalez Rose, read by Victoria Villarreal for Bloomsbury YA -- "The week before Luna’s twin sister Solina was supposed to head back for her final semester at Kingswood Academy, an elite boarding school in the Washington mountains, she told Luna she was dropping out. When Luna refused to let her throw away her future, Solina disappeared. Twelve hours later, she was dead. Luna knows Solina’s death wasn’t an accident, even if the police say otherwise. There’s a reason Solina didn’t want to go back to Kingswood, and Luna knows she’ll find the truth there. All she has to do is become Solina. Playing Solina comes easy, but finding answers is far from it."

• Unhallowed Halls by Lili Wilkinson, read by Imani Jade Powers for Listening Library "A teen girl travels to an exclusive boarding school after a deadly incident at her old school, but the wood-paneled halls of Agathion are built over centuries of secrets—including an ancient society which may have ties to demonic magic."

• The Forest King's Daughter by Elly Blake, read by Eleanor Bennett for Little Brown Young Readers -- "Once upon a time, among the bloodred trees of Thirstwood, a young forest princess became friends with a lonely boy from underground. He gifted her an amber ring, a worthless trinket—or so he thought—because no sooner did he slide it onto her finger than the queen of the underground and the forest king declared war. Years later, Cassia is a crucial force in her father’s army, wielding her ring of light that can blind and disorient hundreds of enemies at a time. Then battle-hardened Zeru abducts her, planning to steal the ring back to fix his costly childhood mistake. Exhausted, terrified, and more than a little mistrusting, Cassia is forced to travel with Zeru to a place they both believed only existed in storybooks, one where their childhood friendship slowly rekindles into something much more. But it's only a matter of time before the war they’ve escaped comes for them, and a hidden threat to forest and underground folk alike grows in the shadows."

SERIES WATCH:

• Witch of Whispervale: DemonWars: The Buccaneers, Book 2 By: R. A. Salvatore, read by Simon Vance for Simon and Schuster -- "The traitorous invasion by the Xoconai of the eastern realms of Corona. However, the heroes of the last war against their demon god may be forgotten, but they are not powerless."

• Cursebound: Faebound, Book 2 By: Saara El-Arifi, read by Nicole Lewis for Random House -- "They’re no longer prisoners to the fae court, but now two elven sisters are each bound by shackles of the heart."

• The Antlered King: The Raven's Trade, Book 2 by Marianne Gordon, read by Kristin Atherton for Harper -- "Hellevir’s bargains with Death to save the ones she loves—including the princess she risked everything to bring back to life—may just lead to the ultimate sacrifice."

• The Fox and the Falcon: No Other Gods, Book 2 By: Piper CJ, read by Luna Rey for Tantor -- "Marlow has spent most of her life believing the shadowy demon she loves isn't real. Not only is he the living, breathing Prince of Hell, but he is now in serious danger. Their reunion is cut short as Caliban remains in a vicious battle with a Phoenician goddess after Marlow's escape. To save him, Marlow must venture into her ancestors' domain for help—the Norse Pantheon—where shared blood is no guarantee of an alliance and the line between gods and beasts blurs."

• The Portal 2: Portal to Xibalbá, Book 2 By: Brandon Q. Morris and Tim L. Rey, read by Kim Ramirez and Gary Tiedemann for Podium -- "Months after the expedition through the portal, Tyler Drake is still struggling with the gruesome consequences. So the call for help from Mexico comes just in time: Adriana's brother is missing—and seems to have made the journey alone to the world beyond the cave."

• A Dragon of Black Glass: Moonfall, Book 3 By: James Rollins, read by Nicola Barber for Macmillan -- "With the apocalyptic threat of moonfall looming ever closer, Nyx and her allies must venture into the eternally sunblasted lands to search for an ancient weapon buried untold millennia ago."

• The Bookstore Keepers: The Once Upon a Time Bookshop Stories, Book 3 by Alice Hoffman, read by Jennifer Jill Araya for Amazon Original Stories -- "A deeply moving short story about the love of family and the power of dreams."

• Cold as Hell: Haven's Rock, Book 3 by Kelley Armstrong, read by Thérèse Plummer for Macmillan -- "Casey Duncan hunts down a dangerous killer during a deadly blizzard."

• Miss Amelia's List: Elemental Masters, Book 17 by Mercedes Lackey, read by Zura Johnson for Tantor -- "The seventeenth novel in the magical alternate history Elemental Masters series follows Amelia Stonehold and Serena Meleva as they navigate property acquisition, marriage proposals, and other ancient horrors in Regency England, but with the help of elemental magic."

• Death of a Smuggler: A Hamish Macbeth Mystery, Book 37 by M. C. Beaton with R.W. Green, read by David Monteath for Grand Central -- "A murder, a missing man, and his newest constable’s secret past are all that’s standing in the way of Sergeant Hamish Macbeth's relaxing winter."

TIE-IN WATCH:

• Halo: Empty Throne By: Jeremy Patenaude, read by Scott Brick for Simon and Schuster -- "2559. It has been a year since the rogue artificial intelligence Cortana seized control of the Domain, an otherworldly dimension housing a vast information network. With an array of Forerunner weapons at her disposal, Cortana set out to enforce an authoritarian peace on the civilizations of the galaxy. But as the United Nations Space Command flagship Infinity prepares to strike against Cortana at Zeta Halo, another plan has also been set in motion."

• Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf: A League of Legends: Arcane Novel by C. L. Clark, read by Ellen Thomas for Orbit -- "A thrilling epic fantasy novel where Ambessa Medarda learns what it means to be a Chosen of the Wolf. Set in the blockbuster and award-winning universe of League of Legends: Arcane. Read by Ellen Thomas, the voice of Ambessa Medarda in Arcane."

Posted in Release Week

Release Week: 11 February 2025

Posted on 2025-02-11 at 12:00 by Samuel Montgomery-Blinn

PICKS:

• Brother Brontë By: Fernando A. Flores, read by Victoria Villarreal for Recorded Books -- "The year is 2038, and the formerly bustling town of Three Rivers, Texas, is a surreal wasteland. Under the authoritarian thumb of its tech industrialist mayor, Pablo Henry Crick, the town has outlawed reading and forced most of the town’s mothers to work as indentured laborers at the Big Tex Fish Cannery, which poisons the atmosphere and lines Crick’s pockets. Scraping by in this godforsaken landscape are best friends Prosperina and Neftalí—the latter of whom, one of the town’s last literate citizens, hides and reads the books of the mysterious renegade author Jazzmin Monelle Rivas, whose last novel, Brother Brontë, is finally in Neftalí’s possession. But after a series of increasingly violent atrocities committed by Crick’s forces, Neftalí and Prosperina, with the help of a wounded bengal tigress, three scheming triplets, and an underground network of rebel tías, rise up to reclaim their city—and in the process, unlock Rivas’s connection to Three Rivers itself."

• The Crimson Road By: A.G. Slatter, read by Helen Phillips for W.F. Howes -- "Violet Zennor was raised fighting in underground arenas. Ruthless and skilled, she becomes an heiress after her father's death. But her freedom is short-lived. Her father planned to send her to the Darklands, where her stillborn brother was sold. Despite pressure, Violet refuses. After an assassination attempt, she realizes she must confront her father's legacy. Seeking help from Miren, Ellie, and Asher, she prepares for the ultimate journey: into the Darklands, to the Anchorhold. This gripping tale explores a sinister fantasy world where blood is power and magic is a weapon."

• The Spirit Collection of Thorne Hall By: J. Ann Thomas, read by the author for Dreamscape -- "At Thorne Hall, a grand estate nestled in the Berkshires, fifteen restless spirits roam, bound within the mansion’s walls since the Gilded Age. Elegy Thorne bears the weight of her family’s curse to preserve the mansion as it was in the 1890s, using ancient folk songs to keep the spirits secret and silent in order to avoid deadly consequences. When a mischievous child spirit wreaks havoc on the manor, the Thorne family calls upon their trusted preservationist to restore the mansion. He brings along his son, Atticus–a vibrant man full of life and ideas of modernization–and Elegy is captivated by him, igniting a longing for freedom she’s never dared to embrace."

• Blood Ties: A Novel by Jo Nesbo, read by Robert Ferguson for Books on Tape -- "From the modern master of Nordic suspense comes an explosive novel about a community in crisis and two brothers on the verge of losing everything they’ve worked so hard to achieve."

• Him by JD Kirk, read by David Tennant and Louise Brealey for Audible Originals -- "When Sarah’s husband, Nick, is killed in a car accident, her world shatters. Facing a future without him seems impossible. But maybe she doesn't have to. When Sarah discovers EternaTech, the AI program Nick and his business partner have been working on in secret, she is given the chance to speak to Nick from beyond the grave. It sounds like him. It feels like him… As Sarah becomes consumed by her connection to this digital Nick, she begins uncovering secrets about his final days. But as she digs deeper, the lines between what's real and what isn't blur, and Sarah must confront a chilling, terrible truth. Some things may be best left buried."

• We All Live Here: A Novel by Jojo Moyes, read by Jenna Coleman for Books on Tape -- " Lila Kennedy has a lot on her plate. A broken marriage, two wayward daughters, a house that is falling apart, and an elderly stepfather who seems to have quietly moved in. Her career is in freefall and her love life is . . . complicated. So when her real dad—a man she has barely seen since he ran off to Hollywood thirty-five years ago—suddenly appears on her doorstep, it feels like the final straw. But it turns out even the family you thought you could never forgive might have something to teach you: about love, and what it actually means to be family."

NON-FICTION WATCH:

• Mainline Mama: A Memoir by Keeonna Harris, read by Bahni Turpin for Harper -- "A powerful exploration of self-resilience, family, and community from activist and prison abolitionist Keeonna Harris."

• Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism by Eve L. Ewing, read by Robin Miles for Books On Tape -- " Why don’t our schools work? Eve L. Ewing tackles this question from a new angle: What if they’re actually doing what they were built to do? She argues that instead of being the great equalizer, America’s classrooms were designed to do the opposite: to maintain the nation’s inequalities. It’s a task at which they excel."

BACKLIST WATCH:

• Roma Eterna By: Robert Silverberg (2003), read by Stefan Rudnicki for Blackstone -- "What would happen if Imperial Rome never fell? Roma Eterna, spanning fifteen hundred years of global history, follows the reign of the Roman Empire from its inception to the present day. Empire continues to expand, creeping across the globe and through the annals of history from the conquest of the Mayans to the first circumnavigational voyage, and finally the attempt of the Hebrews to flee Rome’s tyranny by escaping to another planet."

• Abbott in Darkness by D.J. Butler (2021), read by Ryan Burke for Tantor -- "John Abbott is all in. He's up to his eyeballs in debt to pay for school, and he's just moved his small family forty light-years from Earth for a plum job with the wealthy interstellar corporation, The Sarovar Company. John's first assignment is to discreetly investigate possible corruption at the remote Arrowhawk Station, where Company traders buy the famous Sarovari Weave from the three-sided, crablike Weavers. John finds evidence of theft and worse, but when the guilty parties realize he's getting close, they come after him and his family."

SERIES WATCH:

• The Desert Talon: The Crowns of Ishia, Book 2 By: Karin Lowachee, read by BJ Harrison for Tantor -- "Sephihalé ele Janan sits in a prison cell in the southern island of Mazemoor, dreaming of escape. After months in a provisional prison for fighting for the imperial Kattakans, Janan is sponsored by another refugee who was once a part of his scattered family. Yearning to build a life on his sister's land with the dragons their people revere, the peace Janan seeks is threatened by a ruthless dragon baron who covets both Janan's connection to the earth and the battle dragon to which he is covenanted."

• The Unkillable Princess: The Kystrom Chronicles, Book 2 by Taran Hunt, read by Simon Vance for Tantor -- "Sean teams up with Tamara and Indigo to find his sister in the action-packed sequel to The Immortality Thief."

• Scythe & Sparrow: The Ruinous Love Trilogy, Book 3 By: Brynne Weaver, read by Samantha Brentmoor, Eric Nolan for Slowburn -- "Doctor Fionn Kane is running from a broken heart, one he hopes to mend in small-town Nebraska, far away from his almost-fiancé and his derailed surgical career. It’s a simpler life: head down, hard work, and absolutely no romantic relationships. He wants none of the circus he left behind in Boston. But then the real circus finds him."

• Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales: Emily Wilde, Book 3 By: Heather Fawcett, read by Ell Potter and Michael Dodds for Random House -- "Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world’s first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a party—or even get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog, Shadow, and the Fair Folk to other people. So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby, who manages to charm the townsfolk, muddle Emily’s research, and utterly confound and frustrate her."

• Last Resort: Treasure Trail, Book 3 By: Morgan Brice, read by John Solo for Tantor -- "Weird things are happening again in Cape May and the ghosts of old mobsters never rest easy. Erik Mitchell gets a strange delivery of antique poker chips with odd markings tied to a casino that burned a century ago. Ben Nolan finds a dead guy in one of his rental units—turns out the guy's been missing for twenty years and is linked to a long-lost treasure."

• Deus X: August Snow, Book 4 by Stephen Mack Jones, read by Luis Moreno for Recorded Books -- "Father Michael Grabowski, a Franciscan priest who has tended the spiritual needs of Detroit's Mexicantown for forty years, has suddenly retired. Ex-Detroit PD officer August Snow—the son of a Black cop and a Mexican American painter—grew up in the welcoming melting pot of Father Grabowski's version of Catholicism, and has known the priest his whole life. August finds the abrupt retirement troubling—especially in light of the criminal scandal brewing at another local diocese."

• This Inevitable Ruin: Dungeon Crawler Carl, Book 7 By: Matt Dinniman (2024), read by Jeff Hays with Travis Baldree for Audible -- "They call it Faction Wars. The ninth floor. Nine armies, each led by rich and powerful aliens from across the galaxy. Each team has one objective: to capture and hold the castle at the very center of the battlefield. Strategy, alliances, pitched battles, and, of course, betrayal ... It all makes for great fun and even greater television. After all, none of these powerful aliens really die when they’re playing war. Except this time. This time, winner takes all. Those who fall, stay in the ground."

• Nemesis: Orphan X, Book 10 by Gregg Hurwitz, read by Scott Brick for Macmillan -- "Evan Smoak is a highly trained former government assassin who has survived for years by keeping his circle to a few trusted confidants and a strict code he calls "The Ten Commandments." But when Evan suddenly finds himself at odds with his oldest friend, all the rules he lives by shatter—and the consequences are murderous."

BACKLIST SERIES WATCH:

• The Third Lynx: Quadrail, Book 2 By: Timothy Zahn (2007), read by Kevin T. Collins for Tantor -- "Former agent Frank Compton races across the galaxy to prevent an evil group mind from acquiring powerful alien artifacts."

• The Mirador: Doctrine of Labyrinths, Book 3 by Katherine Addison (2007), read by Shawn K. Jain for Tantor -- "Within the confines of Mélusine lies the Mirador, the city's citadel of power and magic. A stronghold where Felix Harrowgate has found his place once more, his sorcery and his sanity restored. But even a wizard at the height of his powers knows well to watch his back."

• Burning Wild: A Leopard Novel, Book 3 By: Christine Feehan (2009), read by James McAdams for Recorded Books -- "Bred by capricious parents for his innate leopard-shifting abilities, billionaire Jake Bannaconni has spent his life in an emotional vacuum—especially after a tragic twist of fate left him to raise his infant son alone. But when his path crosses that of an enigmatic young woman, Jake’s life takes a detour he never fathomed."

MORE SCI-FI and FANTASY:

• Combat Monsters: Untold Tales of World War II edited by Henry Herz, read by a full cast for Blackstone -- "20 award-winning and bestselling speculative fiction authors each bring their own spin on an alternate history of World War II. New research has uncovered deeply buried military secrets—both the Allied and Axis special operations during World War II included monsters. Did the Soviets use a dragon to win the Battle of Kursk? Did a vampire fight for the Canadians in Holland? Did the US drop the second atomic bomb on a kaiju?"

• The City That Would Eat the World: More Gods Than Stars, Book 1 By: John Bierce, read by Robin Miles for Podium -- " Thea is a washed-up mimic exterminator who expected more out of life, not some hero from stories. Aven is an impulsive wandering adventurer whose personal goddess is constantly getting her into trouble. Neither of them has the slightest interest in getting involved in world-shaking historical events. History doesn't care what they want, unfortunately. It's fallen right into their laps in the shape of a god-slaying weapon from a fallen civilization. Thrown together out of chance, Thea and Aven will have to learn to work together if they want to survive their pursuers."

• Whisper of War and Storms By: C.L. Mecca, read by Kate Handford and Max Dowler for Boldwood -- "When a forgotten ring reveals Mevlida Brennan’s true heritage as the long-lost princess of Aetheria, a kingdom of immortals and magic, her world is turned upside down. But there’s just one problem—Mev didn’t know she was missing. Thrust into a realm on the brink of war, Mev is caught between her newfound legacy and a dangerous political game. A powerful king holds the key to restoring the ancient portal that connects their realms, but his son, Kael, stands in her way. Brooding, relentless, and dangerously irresistible, Kael is sworn to protect his people—even if it means kidnapping Mev to keep her from uncovering the truth."

INDIE WATCH:

• The Realm Beneath: Stories of Mermaids, Krakens, and other Creatures of the Deep by Allison Tebo, Danielle Bullen, Jane Maree, Anna Christine, Olivia Gratehouse, Hannah Kaye, and Emily Golus, read by Verónica Thames -- "Seven authors make a splash in The Realm Beneath, a short story collection featuring mythic creatures of the deep as you’ve never seen them before. A girl who must kill a kraken to save her people. A ruined civilization seeking a new and unknown shore. A boy investigating a mysterious sighting at an aquarium. A mermaid determined to rob a sea dragon’s hoard."

MOST MISSING:

• Caterpillars by Scott Nicolay (Dim Shores) -- "A woman attempts to reconcile two conflicting realities and sets of memories, with most of the story taking place in a world stricken by a bizarre ongoing geological/environmental catastrophe."

• One Message Remains by Premee Mohamed (Psychopomp) -- "Pageantry, pomp, pretense, and peril—”The General’s Turn,” originally published in The Deadlands, drew readers into the dark world of a ceremony where Death herself might choose to join the audience… or step onto the stage. Award-winning author Premee Mohamed presents three brand new stories set in this morally ambiguous world of war and magic."

Posted in Release Week

Release Week: 28 January 2025

Posted on 2025-01-28 at 12:00 by Samuel Montgomery-Blinn

PICKS:

• Old Soul By: Susan Barker, read by George Blagden, Jill Winternitz, and Olivia Vinall for Penguin -- "The Historian meets Under the Skin in this searingly provocative literary horror novel about one woman’s determination to stay alive at any terrifying cost."

• The Vanishing Point: Stories By: Paul Theroux, read by Joe Knezevich for Harper -- "The stories are both exotic and domestic, their settings ranging from Hawaii to Africa and New England. Each focuses on life’s vanishing points—a moment when seemingly all lines running through one’s life converge, and one can see no farther, yet must deal with the implications."

• Melvill By: Rodrigo Fresán, translated by Will Vanderhyden, read by Gary Tiedemann for Tantor -- "A dying father in the grip of fever and delirium recounts his youth, his Grand Tour, the Venetian palaces populated by fascinating and evil figures, his ruin, and his most beautiful journey—the crossing on foot of the frozen Hudson River. His son, still a child, sits at the foot of the bed, attentively collecting these final hallucinated words. Could the work of Herman Melville—masterful author, misunderstood, far too ahead of his time, and considered crazy and dangerous by some critics—have as its source this ultimate paternal legacy?"

• The Scorpion Queen by Mina Fears, read by Sandra Okuboyejo for Macmillan -- "Uprooted meets Children of Blood and Bone in this dark fantasy inspired by a Malian fairy tale about a princess whose suitors are challenged to gruesome trials."

• The Outcast Mage By: Annabel Campbell, read by Sarah Slimani for Orbit -- "In this glittering debut fantasy, a mage bereft of her powers must find out if she is destined to save the world or destroy it."

• Gate to Kagoshima: A Novel By: Poppy Kuroki, read by Siho Ellsmore for Harper -- "In this exciting historical romantasy in the spirit of The Hurricane Wars and The Time Traveler’s Wife—Outlander set in Japan—a young Scottish woman is magically transported to the last Samurai era, where she encounters ghosts from the past, her own Japanese ancestry, and a love that transcends time."

• At the Bottom of the Garden: A Novel By: Camilla Bruce, read by Suzanne Barbetta, Britanny Pressley, and Cassandra Morris for Random House -- "Clara Woods is a killer—and perfectly fine with it, too. So what if she takes a couple of lives to make her own a little bit better? At the bottom of her garden is a flower bed, long overgrown, where her late husband rests in peace—or so she’s always thought. Then the girls arrive. Lily and Violet are her nieces, recently orphaned after their affluent parents died on an ill-fated anniversary trip. In accordance with their parents’ will, the sisters are to go to their closest relative—who happens to be Clara. Despite having no interest in children, Clara agrees to take them, hoping to get her hands on some of the girls’ assets—not only to bolster her dwindling fortune but also to establish what she hopes will be her legacy: a line of diamond jewelry. There’s only one problem. Violet can see the dead man at the bottom of the garden. She can see all of Clara’s ghosts . . . and call them back into existence."

• Our Winter Monster By: Dennis Mahoney, read by Morgan Hallett for Recorded Books -- "For the last year, Holly and Brian have been out of sync. Neither can forget what happened that one winter evening; neither can forgive what’s happened since. Tonight, Holly and Brian race toward Pinebuck, New York, trying to outrun a blizzard on their way to the ski village getaway they hope will save their relationship. But soon they lose control of the car—and then of themselves. Now Sheriff Kendra Book is getting calls about a couple in trouble—along with reports of a brutal and mysterious creature rampaging through town, leaving a trail of crushed cars, wrecked buildings, and mangled bodies in the snow."

NON-FICTION WATCH:

• The Sirens' Call: How Attention Became the World's Most Endangered Resource By: Chris Hayes, read by the author for Penguin -- "From the New York Times bestselling author and MSNBC and podcast host, a powerful wide-angle reckoning with how the assault from attention capitalism on our minds and our hearts has reordered our politics and the very fabric of our society."

BACKLIST WATCH:

• Up the Line By: Robert Silverberg (1969), read by Basil Langdon for Blackstone -- "It’s 2059 and Jud Elliott—former law clerk and failed Harvard history student—is at loose ends. Having left his previous job out of boredom, he finally takes a position as a Time Courier showing tourists around medieval and ancient Byzantium. Maybe that unfinished master’s degree will come in handy after all … Jud is careful and he (mostly) plays by the rules, not wanting to get on the wrong side of the Time Patrol. But, on one trip up the line, he meets and falls in love with his great-great-multi-great grandmother and suddenly the rules don’t seem as important anymore."

• Helliconia Summer: The Helliconia Trilogy, Book 2 By: Brian W. Aldiss (1983), read by Keval Shah for Tantor -- "Helliconia nears its larger star—and a strange visitor joins its civilization."

• Night Train to Rigel: Quadrail, Book 1 By: Timothy Zahn (2005), read by Kevin T. Collins for Tantor -- "The universe is a dangerous place, a fact violently brought home to Frank Compton for perhaps the thousandth time when a stranger delivering a message dies right in front of him. An operative for Western Alliance Intelligence until his whistle-blowing activities got him fired, Compton is now being sought out by the Spiders, the robotic alien beings responsible for the upkeep and operation of the Quadrail transportation system, which connects the galaxy's twelve inhabited empires. The discovery of a sinister plot to use the Quadrail for ill has brought the Spiders to Compton—for only someone possessing the former agent's unique skills can stop the scheme for good."

• Mercy: Church of the Eclipse By: Ian Haramaki (2023), read by Lance West and Curtis Michael Holland for Tantor -- "Father Ilya Pavlovich Sokolov is a lonely priest and pariah of his small town. Tasked with killing an injured monster in the woods, Ilya is certain of his death. Instead, he heals the monster's injury and lifts its curse, revealing a handsome, memory-less man. Cocksure Danya is a man lost in an unfamiliar world. He struggles to recall his past life, flashes returning as he and Ilya grow closer. Soon, his appearance begins to change once more, but not into a beast—instead, Danya grows into something just like the Sun that Ilya has worshiped all his life."

• The Woods All Black By: Lee Mandelo (2024), read by Charli Burrow for Tantor -- "Leslie Bruin is assigned to the backwoods township of Spar Creek by the Frontier Nursing Service, under its usual mandate: vaccinate the flock, birth babies, and weather the judgements of churchy locals who look at him and see a failed woman. Forged in the fires of the Western Front and reborn in the cafes of Paris, Leslie believes he can handle whatever is thrown at him—but Spar Creek holds a darkness beyond his nightmares."

SERIES WATCH:

• The Night Is Defying: Nytefall, Book 2 By: Chloe C. Peñaranda, read by Corvin King and Jacci Prior for Macmillan -- "History is doomed to repeat, and star-crossed lovers must face a choice between their hearts or the world."

• Water Folk: The Folklore Cycle, Book 3 By: John Hood, read by Benjamin Fife -- "In an America shaped by more than just human hands, Folk rangers and magical creatures wage hidden battles that will determine the fate of a growing nation."

INDIE WATCH:

• At Dark, I Become Loathsome By: Eric LaRocca, read by Andrew Eiden for Big Bald Head -- "“If you’re reading this, you’ve likely thought that the world would be a better place without you.” A single line of text, glowing in the darkness of the internet. Written by Ashley Lutin, who has often thought the same—and worse—in the years since his wife died and his young son disappeared. But the peace of the grave is not for him—it’s for those he can help. Ashley has constructed a peculiar ritual for those whose desire to die is at war with their yearning to live a better life."

• The Calamitous Bob By: Alex Gilbert (2021), read by Laurie Catherine Winkel, Gary Furlong, and Jeff Hays for Soundbooth Theater -- "Ah, Nyil, with its magic, its monsters, and its petty gods. A divine spat leaves French medic Viv stranded in the middle of an arcane disaster zone crawling with undead horrors. Thankfully, there are strange allies to be found, not least the mysterious interface that helps humans survive in this merciless world."

MOST MISSING:

• Scorpion Girl: And Other Stories by Janeen Webb (PS Publishing) -- "From battlefields to bedrooms, in these stories nothing is what it seems: creatures from myth, legend, history and literature rub shoulders with ordinary—and extraordinary—people. From ghosts to scientists, from eco-terrorists to time travellers, courageous women come face to face with the uncanny, the supernatural and the bizarre."

• Spacefunk! edited by Milton J. Davis (MVmedia) -- "Space is the Place! Fifty stories and poems by some of the best African/African Diaspora authors and poets from around the world. In Spacefunk you'll experience amazing stories of action, adventure, hope, and escape among the stars."

• The Cannibal Owl by Aaron Gwyn (Belle Point) -- "Drifting through the broken plains of 1820s Texas, Aaron Gwyn's latest venture into the American frontier tells a riveting coming-of-age story. Inspired by the real-life figure Levi English, a settler who ran away to live with the Comanche (Nermernuh) People as a young boy, The Cannibal Owl follows his journey of not quite belonging within a community that is nevertheless kinder to him than his own family. When Levi is eventually forced to confront growing tensions among the tribal leaders, he must make difficult choices about loyalty and self-preservation amidst deep grief and unrelenting violence."

Posted in Release Week

Release Week: 21 January 2025

Posted on 2025-01-21 at 12:00 by Samuel Montgomery-Blinn

PICKS:

• Mask of the Deer Woman By: Laurie L. Dove, read by Isabella Star Lablanc for Penguin -- "At rock bottom following her daughter’s death, ex-Chicago detective Carrie Starr has nowhere to go but back to her roots. Starr’s father never talked much about the reservation where he was raised, but the tribe needs a new marshal as much as Starr needs a place to call home. In the past decade, too many young women have disappeared from the rez. Some have ended up dead, others just…gone. Now local college student Chenoa Cloud is missing, and Starr falls into an investigation that leaves her drowning in memories of her daughter—the girl she failed to save."

• My Darling Boy: A Novel By: John Dufresne, read by Kyle Snyder for Highbridge -- "Known for his tragicomic voice and unforgettable characters, John Dufresne tells the story of Olney, whose beloved son, Cully, collapses into addiction and vanishes into the chaotic netherworld of southern Florida. Aided by his terminally ill girlfriend and the colorful inhabitants of a local motel—including a doomsday prepper, an ex-nun, a pair of blind twins with an acute sense of smell, and a devoutly Catholic shelter worker—Olney sets out to save his son."

• Simpatía By: Rodrigo Blanco Calderón, translated by Noel Hernandez Gonzalez and Daniel Hahn, read by Jose Nateras for Tantor -- "In the Venezuela of Nicolas Maduro amid a mass exodus of the intellectual class who have been leaving their pets behind, Ulises Kan, the protagonist and a movie buff, receives a text message from his wife, Paulina, saying she is leaving the country (and him). Two other events end up disrupting his life even further: the return of Nadine, an unrequited love from the past, and the death of his father-in-law, General Martín Ayala. Thanks to Ayala's will, Ulises discovers that he has been entrusted with a mission—to transform the great family home into a shelter for abandoned dogs. If he manages to do it in time, he will inherit the apartment that he had shared with Paulina."

• Motheater By: Linda Codega, read by Sanya Simmons for Highbridge -- "In this nuanced queer fantasy set amid the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia, the last witch of the Ridge must choose sides in a clash between industry and nature."

• The Resurrectionist By: A. Rae Dunlap, read by Tom Kiteley for Recorded Books -- "In the tradition of The Alienist and Anatomy: A Love Story, a decadently macabre, dark and twisty gothic debut set in 19th century Scotland—when real-life serial killers Burke and Hare terrorized the streets of Edinburgh—as a young medical student is lured into the illicit underworld of body snatching."

• The Rainfall Market By: You Yeong-Gwang, translated by Slin Jung, read by Rosa Escoda for Penguin -- "On the outskirts of Rainbow Town, there is an old, abandoned house. They say that if you send a letter detailing your misfortunes there, you could receive a ticket. If you bring this ticket to the house on the first day of the rainy season, you'll be granted entrance into the mysterious Rainfall Market—where you can choose to completely change your life. No one is more surprised than Serin when she receives a ticket. Lonely and with no real prospects for a future, Serin ventures to the market, determined to create a better life for herself. There, she meets a magical cat companion named Issha and they search through bookstores, perfumeries, and fantastical realms while Serin tries to determine what her perfect life will look like. The catch? Serin only has one week to find her happiness or be doomed to vanish into the market forever."

• The Distractions By: Liza Monroy, read by Christine Williams for Tantor -- "Mischa Osborn spends her days as a ProWatcher—keeping distracted people on task and lonely ones accompanied—from her Brooklyn Megabuilding, while eating PetriMeat Steax and working out with her favorite personal trainer, a straight-talking algorithm named Tory. Her carefully constructed, isolated existence is suddenly upended by a chance realspace encounter with a HighlightReel celebrity, Nicolás Adán Luchano. On their first date, hiking in Kuulsuits and watching DroneBeez pollinate flowers, Mischa experiences a brief but intense realspace connection. Mischa takes to relentlessly watching Nic onReel. As Mischa's ReelWatching spirals into an all-consuming obsession, and even realspace stalking, Mischa takes increasingly desperate measures to be seen and valued, sucking others into her vortex of obsession until she completely loses control."

• Myrrh By: Polly Hall, read by Charlie Albers for Tantor -- "A woman searching for her birth-parents unlocks the secrets of her horrific past, as she tries to stop the goblin within in this kaleidoscopic dark psychological horror about identity and belonging."

• Those Fatal Flowers: A Novel By: Shannon Ives, read by E A Castillo for Random House -- "Greco-Roman mythology and the mystery of the vanished Roanoke colony collide in this epic adventure filled with sapphic longing and female rage."

• Boudicca: A Novel By: P. C. Cast, read by Ell Potter for Harper -- "An epic, lusty, magic-filled romantasy about British warrior queen Boudicca."

NON-FICTION WATCH:

• Three Wild Dogs (and the Truth): A Memoir by Markus Zusak, read by the author for Harper -- "In this poignant, funny, and disarmingly honest memoir, one of the world's most beloved storytellers, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Book Thief, tells of his family's adoption of three troublesome rescue dogs—a charming and courageous love story about making even the most incorrigible of animals family."

BACKLIST WATCH:

• Ice By: Anna Kavan (1967), foreword by Chris Priest (2006), read by Nigel Patterson for Tantor -- "Anticipating climate fiction and the new weird literary genre, while garnering fans from Doris Lessing and J. G. Ballard to China Miéville and Patti Smith since it was first published in 1967, this fantasia about predatory male sexual behavior during an apocalyptic climate catastrophe feels as though author Anna Kavan had seen the future."

• Galactic Pot-Healer By: Philip K. Dick (1969), read by Jefferson Mays for Recorded Books -- "A powerful and enigmatic alien recruits humans and aliens to help it restore a sunken cathedral in this touching and hilarious novel."

• The Subterraneans By: Jack Kerouac (1958), read by Andrew Eiden for Blackstone -- "Centering around the tempestuous romance and breakup of Leo Percepied and Mardou Fox—two denizens of the 1950s San Francisco underground—this is a tale of dark alleys and smoky rooms, of artists, visionaries, and adventurers existing outside mainstream America’s field of vision."

• Answered Prayers By: Truman Capote, read by Kirby Heyborne for Random House -- "Although Truman Capote's last novel was unfinished at the time of his death, its surviving portions offer a devastating group portrait of the high and low society of his time."

• Numamushi: A Fairy Tale By: Mina Ikemoto Ghosh (2023), read by Brian Nishii for Scribd -- "Burned by napalm as an infant and adopted by the guardian spirit of a river, Numamushi spends the first years of his life catching frogs to eat and learning to shed his skin like his serpentine father. Then one day, a lonely man moves into the abandoned house next to the river, and curiosity for all things human awakens in Numamushi. This mysterious man shares Numamushi’s penchant for eating frogs but also carries the scars of war, a love of the written word, and knowledge of the secret history of the house and its river. When he begins teaching Numamushi to read and write, the growing friendship between them opens an unexpected path to metamorphosis–and healing–for them both."

• The Keepers By: Heather Graham (2010), read by Genevieve Jones for Harlequin -- "Fiona MacDonald and her sisters share the mission of maintaining peace in New Orlands, where vampires and shapeshifters hide in plain sight among mankind. As a vampire keeper, is Fiona’s duty to investigate the discovery of a body drained of blood, but this time she must join forces with Detective Jagger DeFarge, who is not only the cop in charge of the investigation but is also a vampire himself."

SERIES WATCH:

• The Wind on Her Tongue: Daughter of Three Waters Trilogy, Book 2 by Anita Kopacz, foreword by Michael Bernard Beckwith, read by Michelle Kopacz for Simon and Schuster -- "In this lyrical and stirring companion to Shallow Waters, Oya—the Yoruban deity of the weather—is brought to life during 1870s America."

• A Crown So Silver: Fair Folk, Book 2 By: Lyra Selene, read by Avena Mansergh-Wallace for Orbit -- "Set during a deadly trial on a mysterious snowy island ruled by a trickster king. The prize: a chance for vengeance."

• Onyx Storm: Empyrean, Book 3 By: Rebecca Yarros, read by Rebecca Soler for Recorded Books -- "After nearly eighteen months at Basgiath War College, Violet Sorrengail knows there’s no more time for lessons. No more time for uncertainty. Because the battle has truly begun, and with enemies closing in from outside their walls and within their ranks, it’s impossible to know who to trust."

MORE SCI-FI and FANTASY:

• The Legend of Meneka: The Divine Dancers Duology, Book 1 By: Kritika H. Rao, read by Sharmila Devar for Simon and Schuster -- "A luscious, exhilarating fantasy inspired by one of the most famous romances in Hindu mythology—the story of a celestial dancer tasked with seducing a human sage, but when she finds herself falling for her mark, she will be forced to choose between loyalties and being true to herself."

• Illusion of Stars: Enmity of Hearts, Book 1 By: Sarah Marie Page, read by Jacci Prior and Rusty Mewha for Dreamscape -- "A stunning new adult enemies-to-lovers romantasy featuring a simmering slow-burn romance between a vengeful spy and an enemy general's alluring second-in-command on opposite sides of a pending war."

• Bloodshot By: Fred Van Lente, read by James Fouhey for Blackstone -- "The Bourne Identity meets X-Men in Bloodshot, an all-new origin story and a heart-pounding adventure featuring the popular comic book character from Valiant Entertainment."

INDIE WATCH:

• Lillith of Endings: An Epic Portal Fantasy by Dreamer's Riot, read by Rachel Leblang for Podium -- "The strangest thing about Annie's new reality isn't that she's now in the body of a seven-year-old child, the beloved Lillith, feared dead by her family after a particularly nasty bout of pneumonia. It's that she's constantly having to conceal her adult intellect, which is not only advanced but otherworldly. Sure, being a young woman and a grad student in twenty-first-century America had its challenges, but this life as Lillith presents even tougher obstacles. She must tread carefully to conceal her vast knowledge of biology, math, physics, and . . . being an adult. Because who'd expect a child to understand the complexities of this world, let alone an entirely different one? Certainly not the unassuming family young Lillith was born into. In this new world she must claim as her own, she's expected to obey her parents, worship a god, and respect a monarchy. But with the memories, experiences, and convictions of both Annie and Lillith combined, she knows she can't—won't—abide by any of it. Until she learns mages play an important role in this society, and her fate as Lillith is suddenly a bit more appealing."

• Lady’s Steed: Swords and Tiaras, Book 1 By: Eve Langlais, read by Heather Wilds for Tantor -- "Avera long ago came to terms with being the forgotten royal. As fourth in line, she was never expected to inherit the throne. All that changes when her entire family is assassinated, and she barely escapes with her life. Stepping into the role of queen takes her into a world she never could have imagined. One of plotting and intrigue. Hidden passageways. Magical and murderous statues. And traitors determined to steal her throne. When the choice becomes flee or die, she embarks on a pilgrimage to an ancient place, one that holds a terrifying secret and sets her on an impossible and deadly quest."

• The Zen of Elevator Travel: A Novel Collection of Short Stories By: Ted Torres (2021), read by J. Hunter Ackerman -- "In Metairie, Louisiana, a young woman revels in the solitary exercise that is riding in an elevator, as across town, a father attempts to pedal his way back into his childhood via a late-night bike ride in his quiet suburban neighborhood. Meanwhile, a young executive climbs the corporate ladder through the strangest of mind-bending means as just moments earlier, a lonely man awakens in his car to the fact that he may have the latent impulses and instincts of a serial killer."

Posted in Release Week

Release Week: 14 January 2025

Posted on 2025-01-14 at 12:00 by Samuel Montgomery-Blinn

FEATURED PICK:

• Death of the Author: A Novel By: Nnedi Okorafor, read by Liz Femi, Anthony Oseyemi, Jason Culp, and Chris Djuma for Harper -- "In this exhilarating tale by New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Nnedi Okorafor, a disabled Nigerian American woman pens a wildly successful Sci-Fi novel, but as her fame rises, she loses control of the narrative—a surprisingly cutting, yet heartfelt drama about art and love, identity and connection, and, ultimately, what makes us human. This is a story unlike anything you’ve heard before."

MORE PICKS:

• Witchcraft for Wayward Girls By: Grady Hendrix, read by Leslie Howard, Hillary Huber, and Sara Morsey for Penguin -- "They call them wayward girls. Loose girls. Girls who grew up too fast. And they’re sent to Wellwood House in St. Augustine, Florida, where unwed mothers are hidden by their families to have their babies in secret, to give them up for adoption, and most important of all, to forget any of it ever happened. Fifteen-year-old Fern arrives at the home in the sweltering summer of 1970, pregnant, terrified and alone. Under the watchful eye of the stern Miss Wellwood, she meets a dozen other girls in the same predicament. There’s Rose, a hippie who insists she’s going to find a way to keep her baby and escape to a commune. And Zinnia, a budding musician who plans to marry her baby’s father. And Holly, a wisp of a girl, barely fourteen, mute and pregnant by no-one-knows-who. Everything the girls eat, every moment of their waking day, and everything they’re allowed to talk about is strictly controlled by adults who claim they know what’s best for them. Then Fern meets a librarian who gives her an occult book about witchcraft, and power is in the hands of the girls for the first time in their lives. But power can destroy as easily as it creates, and it’s never given freely. There’s always a price to be paid...and it’s usually paid in blood."

• Water Moon: A Novel By: Samantha Sotto Yambao, read by Cindy Kay for Random House -- "A woman inherits a pawnshop where you can sell your regrets, and then embarks on a magical quest when a charming young physicist wanders into the shop, in this dreamlike fantasy novel."

• Voices of the Fallen Heroes: And Other Stories By: Yukio Mishima, edited by Stephen Dodd, read by Brian Nishii for Random House -- "A new selection of Yukio Mishima (author of Spring Snow and The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea) short stories from the 1960s—his final decade—Voices of the Fallen Heroes offers a unique glimpse into the mind of one of Japan’s greatest writers."

• Hammajang Luck: A Novel By: Makana Yamamoto, read by Jolene Kim for Harper -- "Ocean’s 8 meets Blade Runner in this trail-blazing debut science fiction novel and swashbuckling love letter to Hawai’i about being forced to find a new home and striving to build a better one—unmissable for fans of Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir and Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo."

• We Lived on the Horizon: A Novel By: Erika Swyler, read by Shiromi Arserio for Simon and Schuster -- "The acclaimed author of the “dazzling” The Book of Speculation returns with an engrossing new novel about a bio-prosthetic surgeon and her personal AI as they are drawn into a revolution. "

• The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds: A Novel By: Jennifer Moorman, read by Kathleen McInerney for Harper Muse -- "Widowed at thirty-five, Josephine Reynolds wishes she could disappear, but her concerned sister convinces her to buy their ancestral home, a Craftsman bungalow in disrepair and foreclosure. It's a welcome distraction, and Josephine can't believe her luck when she finds the home's original door in a salvage yard. When she installs the door and steps through it, Josephine is transported into 1927, where she meets her great-grandmother Alma, a vivacious and daring woman running an illegal speakeasy in the bungalow's basement. Immersed in the vibrant Jazz Age, Josephine forms a profound bond with Alma, only to discover upon her return to the present that history has been altered. Alma's life was tragically cut short in a speakeasy raid just a week after their fateful meeting. Josephine has a chilling revelation--her own existence is unraveling/vanishing--and she must race against time to rewrite history. Josephine is desperate to not only save Alma but save her own future in a time-bending journey where past and present intertwine in a desperate battle for survival."

• Lightfall: Book One of The Everlands By: Ed Crocker, read by Shakira Shute for Macmillan -- "For centuries, vampires freely roamed the land until the Grays came out of nowhere, wiping out half the population in a night. The survivors fled to the last vampire city of First Light, where the rules are simple. If you’re poor, you drink weak blood. If you’re nobility, you get the good stuff. And you can never, ever leave. Palace maid Sam has had enough of these rules, and she’s definitely had enough of cleaning the bedpans of the lords who enforce them. When the son of the city’s ruler is murdered and she finds the only clue to his death, she seizes the chance to blackmail her way into a better class and better blood. She falls in with the Leeches, a group of rebel maids who rein in the worst of the Lords. Soon she’s in league with a sorcerer whose deductive skills make up for his lack of magic, a deadly werewolf assassin and a countess who knows a city’s worth of secrets. There’s just one problem. What began as a murder investigation has uncovered a vast conspiracy by the ruling elite, and now Sam must find the truth before she becomes another victim. If she can avoid getting murdered, she might just live forever."

• Woodworm by Layla Martinez (2021), translated by Sophie Hughes and Annie McDermott, read by Raquel Beattie for Tantor -- "The house breathes. The house contains bodies and secrets. The house is visited by ghosts, by angels that line the roof like insects, and by saints that burn the bedsheets with their haloes."

NON-FICTION WATCH:

• Aflame: Learning from Silence By: Pico Iyer, read by the author for Penguin -- "From the bestselling author of The Art of Stillness, a revelatory exploration of the abiding clarity and calm to be found in quiet retreat."

• In Gad We Trust: A Tell-Some By: Josh Gad, read by the author with Sacha Baron Cohen, Mel Brooks, and Ron Howard for Simon and Schuster -- "A heartfelt and hilarious collection of essays from the comedian and entertainer known for voicing Olaf in the phenomenon Disney franchise of Frozen, and for his award-winning turn as Elder Cunningham in the Broadway smash hit The Book of Mormon."

• The JFK Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Kennedy—and Why It Failed By: Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch, read by Scott Brick for Macmillan -- "From the New York Times bestselling authors of The Nazi Conspiracy and The Lincoln Conspiracy comes a true, little-known story about the first assassination attempt on John F. Kennedy, right before his inauguration."

• Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old: Thoughts on Aging as a Woman By: Brooke Shields, read by the author for Macmillan -- "From the face of a generation comes a voice of experience, honesty and truth. Brooke Shields narrates a powerful account of her aging experience. A master storyteller, Brooke delivers a remarkable narration with humor and grace. Be prepared to listen, laugh and learn as she flips the script on the idea of what it means for a woman to grow older."

MOST MISSING:

• The Virtuoso Parrot & Other Stories by by Claude-Sosthène Grasset d’Orcet (Author), Doug Skinner (Translator) (Black Scat Books) -- "Claude-Sosthène Grasset d'Orcet (1828-1900) wrote startling articles and stories about secret societies, hidden bloodlines, and his own idiosyncratic views of history. His obsession with finding puns and rebuses, in both ancient inscriptions and modern speech, influenced generations of occultists and was the inspiration for the "language of the birds" expounded by the enigmatic Fulcanelli."

• And One Day We Will Die: Strange Stories Inspired by the Music of Neutral Milk Hotel edited by Patrick Barb (Pbarb Books) -- "Spotlighting the bizarrely beautiful and beautifully bizarre music and lyrics of indie folk rock band Neutral Milk Hotel, And One Day We Will Die features 22 short stories from the realms of weird, phantasmagoric, and speculative fiction, all inspired by the cult classic songs written and performed by Jeff Mangum and company. From alternate histories where happy endings are allowed and mythological re-imaginings that center love over destruction to awe-inspiring contemplations of the potential in the present and dark and unfathomable future visions, all featured authors selected one song from the beloved Neutral Milk Hotel songbook to use as a springboard for their tales."

• Hope Is a Thing That's Molting by Susan Emshwiller (Pinehead Press) -- "This conglomeration of short writings romps neck-deep in the human condition. With humor, wit, and great empathy, Susan Emshwiller lovingly explores a myriad of lives. From the mundane event of a glass breaking in a couple's home, to power trips between rich and poor during the apocalypse."

• Tender Is Her Touch by Kaya Skovdatter (Huldra House) -- "Bryony, a blind trans escort, caters to those among Marrowmont’s magical elite who like to keep their identities confidential. She’s never been anything but professional. Until she meets a client who makes her feel things she absolutely can’t afford to feel."

POETRY WATCH:

• Helen of Troy, 1993: Poems By: Maria Zoccola, read by the author for Simon and Schuster -- "Part myth retelling, part character study, this sharp, visceral debut poetry collection reimagines Helen of Troy from Homer’s Iliad as a disgruntled housewife in 1990s Tennessee."

YA WATCH:

• Honeysuckle and Bone By: Trisha Tobias, read by Laura Edwards for Sweet July Books -- "On the run from her own dark secrets, a teen girl becomes the nanny for a prestigious family on their Jamaican estate, where she quickly discovers even paradise may be haunted."

BACKLIST WATCH:

• Helliconia Spring: The Helliconia Trilogy, Book 1 By: Brian W. Aldiss, read by Keval Shah for Tantor -- Out 12/31 in some other stores, now also at Audible: "The Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author and Science Fiction Grand Master delivers a sweeping epic of a planet suffering deadly conditions of alternating extremes in this Nebula Award finalist."

• Mistworld: Twilight of the Empire, Book 1 by Simon R. Green (1992), read by Dan Calley for Tantor -- "Mistworld. The day would come when it would be a key world in Owen Deathstalker's Rebellion. Now, it's as it's always been, a world on the edge of the Empire, a lawless one, shielded from the outside by powerful ESPers. A world where Leon Vertue can run his body bank, where a burglar like Cat has more to fear from other thieves than the Empress' justice, a world where Investigator Topaz is determined to make her mark."

MORE FICTION:

• Isaac's Song: A Novel By: Daniel Black, read by JD Jackson for Harlequin -- "The beloved author of Don’t Cry for Me and Perfect Peace returns with a poignant, emotionally exuberant novel about a young queer Black man finding his voice in 1980s Chicago—a novel of family, forgiveness and perseverance, for fans of The Great Believers and On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous."

• Frankie: A Novel By: Graham Norton, read by the author for Harper -- "From the internationally bestselling author and host of The Graham Norton Show, a dazzling and decades-sweeping story about love, bravery, and what it means to live a significant life."

• More or Less Maddy: A Novel By: Lisa Genova, read by Tessa Albertson for Simon and Schuster -- "A breathless, riveting novel about a young woman diagnosed with bipolar disorder who rejects the stability and approval found in a traditionally “normal” life for a career in stand-up comedy."

• The Queen's Spade by Sarah Raughley, read by Anniwaa Buachie for Harper -- "In this riveting historical thriller inspired by true-life events, Belladonna meets Bridgerton as revenge, romance, and twisted secrets take center stage in Victorian England's royal court when Sally, a kidnapped African princess and goddaughter to Queen Victoria, plots her way to take down the monarchy that stole her from her homeland."

• Vantage Point: A Novel By: Sara Sligar, read by Adam Ewer, Helen Laser, and Jess Nahikian for Macmillan -- "The old-money Wieland family has it all—wealth, status, power. They’re also famously cursed. Clara and her brother, Teddy, grew up on a small island in Maine in the shadow of their parents’ tragic deaths, haunted by rumors and paparazzi. Fourteen years later, they’ve mostly put their turbulent past to rest. Teddy has married Clara’s best friend, Jess, and the three of them have moved back home to take over the sprawling, remote family mansion known as Vantage Point. Then Teddy decides to run for the Senate—an unnerving prospect made much worse when intimate videos of Clara are leaked online. The most frightening part is that she doesn't remember filming any of them. Are the videos real? Or are they deepfakes? Is someone trying to take down the Wielands once and for all?"

• Everything Is Poison by Joy McCullough, read by the author for Books on Tape -- "For as long as she can remember, Carmela Tofana has desperately wanted one thing: to be allowed behind the counter of her mother’s apothecary in Campo Marzio, Rome. When she turns sixteen, she’s finally allowed into the inner sanctum: the workroom where her mother, Giulia Tofana, and two assistants craft renowned remedies for their customers. But for every sweet-smelling flower extract in the workroom, there’s another potion requiring darker ingredients. And then there’s Aqua Tofana, the apothecary’s remedy of last resort for husbands who are just as deadly as any disease. In all Carmela’s years of wishing to follow in her mother’s footsteps, she never realized one tiny vial could be the death of them all."

• The Favorites: A Novel By: Layne Fargo, read by a full cast for Random House -- "An epic love story set in the sparkling, savage sphere of elite figure skating starring a woman determined to carve her own path on and off the ice."

• The Last Room on the Left By: Leah Konen, read by Karissa Vacker, Erin Bennett, Julie Webster for Penguin -- "The caretaker at an isolated mountain hotel finds herself fighting for her life—and sanity—in this twisty, addictive thriller."

• Beautiful Ugly: A Novel By: Alice Feeney, read by Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton for Macmillan -- "Author Grady Green is having the worst best day of his life. Grady calls his wife to share some exciting news as she is driving home. He hears Abby slam on the brakes, get out of the car, then nothing. When he eventually finds her car by the cliff edge the headlights are on, the driver door is open, her phone is still there. . . but his wife has disappeared. A year later, Grady is still overcome with grief and desperate to know what happened to Abby. He can’t sleep, and he can’t write, so he travels to a tiny Scottish island to try to get his life back on track. Then he sees the impossible: a woman who looks exactly like his missing wife."

• The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey By: Astrid Dahl, read by Mia Barron, Sean Patrick, Emily Lawrence, Allyson Ryan, Devon Sorvari for Simon and Schuster -- "A propulsive binge-worthy thriller following the hit reality TV show Garden State Goddesses where secrets are uncovered, intense rivalries surface, and a startling murder propels a producer on a riveting quest for the truth."

• A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage: A Novel By: Asia Mackay, read by Georgia Tennant and Kyle Soller for Random House -- "Two former serial killers trying to keep their past buried realize that old habits die hard."

• Babylonia By: Costanza Casati, read by Ayesha Antoine for Recorded Books -- "This myth-based story follows Semiramis, the only female ruler of the Assyrian empire, and the famous love triangle that made her queen—usurping both a king and the man they both loved."

MORE SCI-FI and FANTASY:

• Heavenly Bodies By: Imani Erriu, read by Jane Collingwood for Random House Canada -- "A runaway TikTok sensation, Heavenly Bodies is the first book in a dazzling new romantasy series that blends mythology and shadow magic with a tantalizing enemies-to-lovers romance that will rewrite the stars."

• Heart of Snow By: Rachel Grow Law, read by Noah Wall for Covenant -- "To be chosen as a lady-in-waiting for Queen Mary is more than just an honor for Countess Margaretha: it’s a matter of life and death. After her brother is captured on the battlefield, Margaretha hopes the queen’s favor will allow her entry into circles of the powerful elite. There she will leverage her irresistible charm to secure her brother’s release. But as the victim of an unfortunate case of shyness, Margaretha’s feminine wiles are sorely lacking. Her only hope of achieving her aim is to practice the arts of flirtation on a man she should never fall in love with. As a huntsman’s page, Friedrich has had enough of nobles to last him a lifetime, so when Countess Margaretha asks for his help, he has no intention of saying yes—until she offers a bargain he cannot refuse, giving him the ability to decipher a puzzling letter from his past."

• Level: Unknown by David Dalglish, read by John Patneaude for Orbit -- "The magical world of Yensere holds the key to saving humanity from a horrific apocalypse. Too bad Nick can only get there in his dreams."

• 2025: A Full-Cast BBC Sci-Fi Thriller By: Mike Walker, read by a full cast for BBC Audio -- "Mona Hammond and Alphonsia Emmanuel star in this futuristic sci-fi drama, set in a world where artificial intelligence has become a reality."

• Captain America: The Shield of Sam Wilson edited by Jesse J. Holland, read by Cary Hite for Dreamscape Lore -- "The new Captain America has a big shield to carry. Is he up to the task? In these short stories inspired by the Marvel comic book universe, Sam Wilson takes up the shield and proves his mettle." Featuring Maurice Broaddus, Nicole Givens Kurtz, and Sheree Renee Thomas among others.

• Shadow of the Smoking Mountain: Chronicles of Hanuvar, Book 3 By: Howard Andrew Jones, read by Kevin T. Collins for Tantor -- "He had crossed half a continent, venturing into the heartland of his enemies to wage a secret war of liberation!"

Posted in Release Week

The Most Missing Audiobooks of 2024

Posted on 2025-01-13 at 12:00 by Samuel Montgomery-Blinn

Another year has come and gone, bringing so many books and audiobooks that already, of course, one can't get to them all in a lifetime, let alone 12 months. Still, some of the titles I most anticipated -- or was most surprised by! -- last year did not come out in audio editions, and as I used to do years ago, I'm going to survey some of these for you, and hopefully some audio publishers (Podium? Tantor? Scribd?) will take notice.

First, yes, let's get it out of the way that the new Dungeon Crawler Carl book is not out in audio until February. OK? OK. Yes, that's by far the most missing audiobook of 2024. Second, a disclaimer that the links are affiliate links which may result in a few nickels and dimes for me. Lastly, I do call out my picks for the "most missing" audiobooks nearly every week in my reddit r/audiobooks release week roundups, so if you want an even larger list, you are welcome to comb through those. As you may know, I tend to get wordy, and these lists tend to get long, but, really, I've tried to filter these down as much as I can. (Despite the evidence to the contrary coming right up.) Here we go...

FICTION: The Top 20

Crypt of the Moon Spider by Nathan Ballingrud (Tor Nightfire) -- "Years ago, in a cave beneath the dense forests and streams on the surface of the moon, a gargantuan spider once lived. Its silk granted its first worshippers immense faculties of power and awe. It’s now 1923 and Veronica Brinkley is touching down on the moon for her intake at the Barrowfield Home for Treatment of the Melancholy. A renowned facility, Dr. Barrington Cull’s invasive and highly successful treatments have been lauded by many. And they’re so simple! All it takes is a little spider silk in the amygdala, maybe a strand or two in the prefrontal cortex, and perhaps an inch in the hippocampus for near evisceration of those troublesome thoughts and ideas. But patients aren’t the only ones with trouble on their minds, and although the spider’s been dead for years, its denizens are not. Someone or something is up to no good, and Veronica just might be the cause."

The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain by Sofia Samatar (Tordotcom) -- A Philip K. Dick Award finalist: "The boy was raised as one of the Chained, condemned to toil in the bowels of a mining ship out among the stars. His whole world changes—literally—when he is yanked “upstairs” and informed he has been given an opportunity to be educated at the ship’s university alongside the elite. Overwhelmed and alone, the boy forms a bond with the woman he comes to know as “the professor,” a weary idealist and descendent of the Chained who has spent her career striving for validation from her more senior colleagues, only to fall short at every turn. Together, the boy and the woman will embark on a transformative journey to grasp the design of the chains that fetter them both—and are the key to breaking free."

Posted in Uncategorized

Release Week: 7 January 2025

Posted on 2025-01-07 at 12:00 by Samuel Montgomery-Blinn

Happy New Year! The big publishers are back with a vengeance after a couple of quiet weeks to close out 2024. Let's see what's in store...

FEATURED PICK:

• Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear: Wayward Children, Book 10 By: Seanan McGuire, read by Barrie Kreinik for Macmillan -- Continuing a lovely run of beginning each year with a Wayward Children book is just what I needed: "Giant turtles, impossible ships, and tidal rivers ridden by a Drowned girl in search of a family."

PICKS:

• In the Distance By: Hernan Diaz, read by Alexander Skarsgard for Penguin -- "The first novel by the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Trust, an exquisite and blisteringly intelligent story of a young Swedish boy, separated from his brother, who becomes a legend and an outlaw."

• The Capital of Dreams: A Novel By: Heather O'Neill, read by Paige McKinney for Harper -- "Sofia Bottom lives in Elysia, a small country forgotten by Europe. But inside its borders, the old myths of trees that come alive and faeries who live among their roots have given way to an explosion of the arts and the consolations of philosophy. From the clarinetists to the cabaret singers, no artist is as revered as Sofia’s brilliant mother, the writer Clara Bottom. How can fourteen-year-old Sofia, with her tin ear and enduring love of ancient myths, ever hope to win her mother’s love? When the country’s greatest enemy invades, and the Capital is under threat, Clara turns to her daughter to smuggle her new manuscript to safety on the last train evacuating children from the city."

• A Language of Dragons by S. F. Williamson, read by Henrietta Meire for Harper -- "In an alternate London in 1923, one girl accidentally breaks the tenuous truce between dragons and humans in this sweeping debut and epic retelling of Bletchley Park steeped in language, class, and forbidden romance."

• All the Water in the World: A Novel By: Eiren Caffall, read by Eunice Wong for Macmillan -- "In the tradition of Station Eleven, a literary thriller set partly on the roof of New York’s Museum of Natural History in a flooded future."

• Seeds By: Angie Paxton, read by Imani Jade Powers, and Patricia Santomasso for Dreamscape -- "Kore has lived her entire life under her resentful mother Demeter’s shadow, trying her hardest to please a woman grown bitter by betrayal. With her self-esteem in tatters and deliberately isolated by her mother, it’s no surprise that Kore is flummoxed when she meets a collection of otherworldly women—the Goddesses of Olympus—who tell her that her mother is in truth a Goddess herself. Kore tells them her preferred name, Persephone, and hopes they will not only have answers for her new questions, but offer the friendship and love she craves. Instead, an imposing and stoic figure emerges from a nearby cave on a magical chariot and snatches Persephone away. Upon realizing she has been taken to the Underworld by Hades, who desires she become his queen, Persephone vows to escape. Demeter, enraged upon finding her daughter taken, goes to extreme lengths to reclaim her—putting the lives of all humanity—and even the gods themselves—at risk."

• The Life of Herod the Great by Zora Neale Hurston, edited by Deborah G. Plant, read by Blair Underwood and Robin Miles for Harper -- "A never before published novel from beloved author Zora Neale Hurston, revealing the historical Herod the Great—not the villain the Bible makes him out to be but a religious and philosophical man who lived a life of valor and vision."

• A Sea of Unspoken Things: A Novel By: Adrienne Young, read by Christine Lakin for Random House -- "James and Johnny Golden were once inseparable. For as long as she can remember, James shared an almost supernatural connection with her twin brother, Johnny, that went beyond intuition—she could feel what he was feeling. So, when Johnny is killed in a tragic accident, James knows before her phone even rings that her brother is gone and that she’s alone—truly alone—for the first time in her life. When James arrives in the secluded town of Six Rivers, California, to settle her brother’s affairs, she’s forced to revisit the ominous events of their shared past and finally face Micah, the only other person who knows their secrets—and the only man she has ever loved."

• Mother of Rome By: Lauren J. A. Bear, read by Zura Johnson, Caleb Summers for Penguin -- "The names Romulus and Remus may be immortalized in map and stone and chronicle, but their mother exists only as a preface to her sons’ journey, the princess turned oath-breaking priestess, condemned to death alongside her children. But she did not die; she survived. And so does her story."

• Wake Up and Open Your Eyes By: Clay McLeod Chapman, read by a full cast for Blackstone -- "A relentless and emotionally charged social horror novel about a family on the run from a demonic possession epidemic that spreads through media."

NON-FICTION WATCH:

• The Forgotten Sense: The New Science of Smell—and the Extraordinary Power of the Nose by Jonas Olofsson, read by Adam Verner for Harper -- "For listeners of James Nestor and Mary Roach, a fascinating tour of the science behind our most essential sense—and all we unleash when we stop and literally smell the roses."

SERIES WATCH:

• Four Ruined Realms: The Broken Blades, Book 2 By: Mai Corland, read by a full cast for Recorded Books -- "His sister’s ring is in his sights, and he will do anything to get what he wants. Even manipulating the five blades to steal it..."

• Cold Storage: The Revival Series, Book 2 By: Michael C. Grumley, read by Scott Brick for Macmillan -- "Technology never works well the first time. Or even the second. Army veteran John Reiff is living proof. John is revived in the back of a dilapidated ambulance, on the run from a shadowy organization that is desperate to take him back. He is the first one, their archetype, and they need to know what happened after his escape. What is happening to his body and his mind. And they need to know now."

• Dead Men Wag No Tails: A Magical Menagerie Mystery, Book 2 By: Sarah Fox, read by Hallie Bee Bard for Dreamscape -- "Romance, treasure and danger collide in the charming coastal town of Twilight Cove."

• Dead Souls: Hospital, Book 3 By: Han Song, translated by Michael Berry, read by Kenneth Lee for Brilliance -- "The final installment in Yang Wei’s journey through a dystopian hospital system, touching down on the red planet, where more than Yang’s nightmare is reborn."

• A Conventional Boy: Laundry Files, Book 13: By: Charles Stross, read by Gideon Emery for Recorded Books -- "In 1984, Derek Reilly was just another spotty teenage dungeon master growing up in middle England. But then a secret government agency tasked with suppressing magical intrusions received a tip-off—and one midnight raid later, his life was turned upside down by the Satanic D&D Panic. Decades later Derek, now middle-aged and institutionalized, is a long-term inmate at Camp Sunshine, a center for deprogramming captured Elder God cultists. He's considered safe enough to edit the camp newsletter, and he even has postal privileges—which he uses to run a play-by-mail game. After 25 years, Derek finally has reason to escape: a nearby D&D convention. While Derek's D&D games were full of fictional elder gods and world-ending threats, a LARP game at the con is a dread ritual designed to summon a great evil into our world, and it's up to Derek and his players to stop them."

• Immortal: A Novel of the Celestial Kingdom By: Sue Lynn Tan, read by Natalie Naudus for Harper -- "A young ruler must forge a delicate alliance with the enigmatic God of War to protect her kingdom in this stunning romantic fantasy filled with dangerous secrets, forbidden magic, and passion."

• The Elders' Quest: Warriors: Changing Skies, Book 1 By: Erin Hunter, read by Katie Anvil Rich for Harper -- "The launch of a brand-new arc in Erin Hunter’s #1 bestselling Warriors series find the Clans navigating an ominous prophecy that foreshadows the destruction of the Moonpool, and the end of the Cats' connection to StarClan."

• Threshold: Stories from Cradle By: Will Wight, read by Travis Baldree for Audible -- "Cradle isn’t over yet. Lindon’s journey may have ended, but there are still more tales to tell. The stories in this collection will show you the world after Cradle, those left behind, and even some legends from long ago."

• Alien: Seventh Circle By: Philippa Ballantine, read by Nikki Massoud for Blackstone -- "As human colonies are obliterated by the dark pathogen and hideous monstrosities proliferate, a family of scavengers find an amnesiac who may hold the secrets to the forces tearing apart the galaxy."

MORE SCI-FI and FANTASY:

• The Vanishing Bookstore By: Helen Phifer, read by Stephanie Cannon for Hachette UK -- "1692. On the outskirts of Salem, a bookstore stands covered in overgrown vines. Inside, a young woman hides a linen-wrapped journal under a loose floorboard and runs away, panicked by the sound of hounds barking in the distance. The bookstore vanishes into thin air… Present day. Stepping inside a pale-pink house on one of the oldest streets in Salem, Dora can’t believe she’s about to finally meet the mother she thought died tragically when she was just a child. But the excitement is short-lived. Dora’s mother has fear in her eyes, and with a trembling voice she whispers: ‘my life is in danger, and now so is yours…’"

• The Coming Dark By: D.J. Molles, read by Scott Aiello for Audible -- "All Liam Avione ever wanted was to be a Deathbringer. Almost 20 years old now, he’s approaching the last six months of the decade-long training program, hopeful for his future as a protector of the Universe. One, slight problem: He’s got a genetic defect that he’s been keeping a secret. But as the training intensifies, so do his symptoms. Which are really hard to hide when they cause him to puke, pass out, and have a seizure in front of the training cadre. Before he knows it, he is dismissed from the Deathbringers and sent back to live with the civilian “Lifebringers.” Struggling to fit in, or even find a job, Liam is relegated to working in a kitchen and repeatedly trying to convince himself, "This is your life now." So when Liam gets a slim chance at redemption, he knows he has to take it, genetic defect be damned."

• Breath of the Dragon: Breathmarked, Book 1 By: Fonda Lee and Shannon Lee, read by Eric Yang for Macmillan -- "A young warrior dreams of proving his worth in the elite Guardian Tournament, fighting not only for himself but the fate of everything he loves."

• The Starlight Heir: A Novel By: Amalie Howard, read by Anais Inara Chase and Ramiz Monsef for Harper -- "When the gold-dusted court invitation arrives at Suraya Saab’s forge, she believes it’s a joke. Nobles might seek her skills as a bladesmith—one of few who can imbue her work with precious jadu, the last source of magic in the realm—but she has no qualifications as a potential bride for the crown prince. Still, the invitation is the chance at adventure, and the means to finally visit the capital city her late mother loved. But what awaits her in Kaldari is nothing she could have imagined—and fraught with danger. It’s not the crown prince, but his impossibly handsome, illegitimate half-brother, Roshan, who captures her interest…and her ire. The invitation isn’t a quest to find a suitable bride, but a veiled hunt for the Starkeeper—a girl rumored to hold the magic of the stars in her blood."

• The Last Bookstore on Earth by Lily Braun-Arnold, read by Bailey Carr for Books On Tape -- "Two teen girls fall in love and fight for survival in an abandoned bookstore weeks before another cataclysmic storm threatens to bring about the end of the world."

MORE FICTION:

• Mothers and Sons: A Novel By: Adam Haslett, read by Andrew Gibson and Janet Metzger for Little, Brown and Company -- "A mother and son, estranged for years, must grapple with the shared secret that drove their lives apart in this enthralling story about family, forgiveness, and how a fleeting act of violence can change a life forever."

• The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus: A Novel By: Emma Knight, read by Saskia Maarleveld for Penguin -- "A witty, atmospheric, and brilliantly told novel that offers compelling portraits of womanhood, motherhood and female friendship, along with the irresistible intrigue surrounding an extraordinary British family."

• Homeseeking By: Karissa Chen, read by Katharine Chin and Kenneth Lee for Penguin -- "An epic and intimate tale of one couple across sixty years as world events pull them together and apart, illuminating the Chinese diaspora and exploring what it means to find home far from your homeland."

• The Heart of Winter: A Novel By: Jonathan Evison, read by Kimberly Farr for Penguin -- "An extraordinary new novel about a married couple in their golden years, from when they met across big ups, deep downs, and survive-it-all, opposites-attract love."

INDIE WATCH:

• The Forest Where the Phoenix Sleeps By: Brooke Marley Jones, read by Zura Johnson for Podium -- "Walking home late one night, burned-out barista Nell accidentally incinerates someone. Whoopsie! Now, if this tale began in a fantastic far-away land, or Nell was, perhaps, a wizard, such a mishap might make some kind of sense. But this is not a wondrous fantasy world. This is real life, and Nell just wanted to go home and eat macaroni. As Nell stares at the smoldering corpse, she realizes something with horrifying certainty: She's magic."

• The Empress: Towerfall, Book 1 By: Kristin Cast, read by Amanda Leigh Cobb, Gabriel Spires for Podium -- "The Arcana aren't just figures in a tarot deck―they're real. Terrifyingly real. That's what I learned when I found a tarot card in the snow and was yanked from my world into Towerfall. The first thing the people of this harsh, cruel realm did was try to kill me, and they probably would have succeeded if Kane hadn't taken me to his hideout in the woods and nursed me back to health. I don't know if I can trust him. He's too hot to be good news, he's definitely hiding secrets, and I've already seen him kill two people to protect me. If I hadn't just been helplessly dumped into his world, the blood on his sword and his dark, brooding mood would have me running in the opposite direction. But right now, convincing the Kingdom of Pentacles that Kane and I are married is my best chance of getting into the palace and back to my own world."

• Echoes of the Divine: And Other Steampunk Stories By: Danielle Ackley-McPhail, read by Jennifer Fournier -- "Welcome to a World of Invention: To a mermaid watching airships as she dreams of the sky… to an orphan girl caught between innovation and tradition… From a desperate Lady turning to science to search for the rightful heir… The Age of Steam is full of potential—and peril—for those with the vision to wonder what if?"

Oh nice! I've loved many of Newbern's narrations. I'll take a look at Book 1! (With whispersync deal and some Kindle store credits makes it about $8 for me.) Cheers!

Posted in Release Week

Release Week: 31 December 2024

Posted on 2024-12-31 at 12:00 by Samuel Montgomery-Blinn

PICKS:

• Beyond Those Gilded Walls By: Jessica S. Taylor, read by Stefanie Kay for Dreamscape -- "The kingdom of Veressia has been forsaken by its prince, who has chosen instead to drown out the screams of the dying. Trapped in a kingdom without a leader and blamed by her brothers for her mother’s death, Odyssa has little hope of ever succeeding at honoring her mother’s dying wish. Driven by desperation, Odyssa ventures into the heart of the barricaded castle, masquerading as a servant amidst the prince's nightly opulent parties. But as she delves deeper into the castle’s secrets, she uncovers a sinister connection between the coward prince and the devastating plague."

BACKLIST WATCH:

• Helliconia Spring by Brian W. Aldiss (1982), read by Keval Shah for Tantor -- "The Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author and Science Fiction Grand Master delivers a sweeping epic of a planet suffering deadly conditions of alternating extremes in this Nebula Award finalist." Strangely enough, this doesn't seem to show up at Audible, though it's available at Audiobooks.com and Hoopla, among other places.

• The Flying Sorcerers By: David Gerrold and Larry Niven (1971), read by Patrick Lawlor for Brilliance -- "This funny and insightful science fiction classic introduces Shoogar, the greatest wizard ever known in his village. His spells can strike terror in the hearts of even his most powerful enemies. But the enemy he faces now is like none he has ever seen before. The stranger has come from nowhere and is ignorant of even the most basic principles of magic. But the stranger has an incredibly powerful magic of his own. There is no room in Shoogar's world for an intruder whose powers match his own, let alone one whose powers might exceed his. So before the blue sun can cross the face of the red sun once more, Shoogar will show this stranger just who is boss."

• A Turn of Light: Night's Edge, Book 1 By: Julie E. Czerneda (2013), read by Jen Jayden for Tantor -- "The pastoral valley of Marrowdell is home to a small pioneer settlement of refugees, lush fields of grain, enigmatic house toads—and Jenn Nalynn, the miller's daughter. Life here is full of laughter and peace, as well as hard work, and no one bothers over much about the outside world. Except Jenn Nalynn. Jenn longs to travel, to seek what's missing in her life. She's certain she'll find what she needs, if only she can leave the valley. But she must not."

• Ghostworld: Twilight of the Empire, Book 2 By: Simon R. Green (1993), read by Dan Calley for Tantor -- "Before Owen Deathstalker, there was the Twilight of the Empire."

SERIES WATCH:

• A Princess of Mars: Shadow of the Assassins: Edgar Rice Burroughs Universe By: Ann Tonsor Zeddies, read by John McLain for Oasis -- "Born to an ancient line of noble and courageous forebears, Dejah Thoris, young and headstrong princess of the mighty empire of Helium, longs for a life of excitement and purpose beyond the cloistered walls of her royal palace. When a foreign ambassador arrives with an invitation to visit his city-state in hopes of fostering diplomatic relations, the princess defies the protests of her father and jed, traveling to the shadowy metropolis of Zor as Helium’s emissary. But Dejah Thoris soon finds her hosts are not like the gallant folk of Helium, and before she knows it, their nefarious machinations ensnare her in a tangled web of artifice, perfidy, and murder—and a treacherous plot that portends tragedy not only for her own family, but for the entire Heliumetic empire."

• Lights! Camera! Mayhem! The Chronicles of St Mary's Series By: Jodi Taylor, read by Zara Ramm for Headline -- "Jodi Taylor and the disaster magnets of St Mary's return with a story of chaos and catastrophe, to wish you a very Merry Christmas."

INDIE WATCH:

• Chopping Mall: The Novelization: Encyclopocalypse Movie Tie-in Series By: Joshua Millican, read by Mark Alan Miller -- "High-tech robots, equipped with state-of-the-art security devices, have been recruited as the new mechanical "night watchmen" for Park Plaza Mall. But when a jolting bolt of lightning short-circuits the main computer control, the robots turn into "killbots," on the loose after unsuspecting shoppers."

• The Unicorn Hunter: Fairy Tales of Arilland, Book 2 By: Alethea Kontis, read by Jen Walls -- "Once upon a time, a princess was born with hair as black as ebony, lips as red as blood, and skin as white as snow. After the huntsman and before the dwarfs—while she was all alone in that great forest—the princess met a demon. He was hunting unicorns. And what bait could better snare his prey than the fairest of them all?"

• 1982: A Year in the Life of Wendy Wood By: Jason Ayres, read by Peter J Matthews -- "In 1982, Wendy Wood was poised on the brink of stardom. Lead singer with talented local band, Velvet Temptation, she was a rising star of the Oxford music scene. Tipped for fame by the music press, success seemed inevitable. But conflict within the band, a series of betrayals and infidelities, and an unwelcome run of bad luck all played a part in shattering her dreams. Forty years later, her health failing, Wendy’s only comfort is in karaoke nights, where every song is a poignant reminder of what might have been. Then, out of the blue, she’s handed the means to return to the past. Determined to rewrite her destiny, Wendy is steadfast in her pursuit of the fame that once slipped through her fingers."

• Journey to Torcia: Shadow Casters Series, Book 1 By: Jared Woodcox, read by Aaron Smith -- "In the land of Malgar, where the essence of balance once weaved through the very fabric of life, shadow casters—masters of the arcane, summoning creatures and weapons born of shadow—long stood as vanguards of harmony. But when fear sparked a purge that intended to extinguish their ancient art, the world teetered on the brink of chaos. But turmoil brought forth reform and rising from the ashes of distrust, three young casting trainees, Kaito, Sumi, and Nigel, emerge as beacons of hope within the reinstated Legion of Shadow Casters. Together they must prove their worth in a society split by fear and prejudice, where their very existence could reignite former conflicts with those that only recently ceased to hunt them."

• Forgotten Allegiance: Roots of Conviction, Book 1 By: Tyler Tarter, read by Heidi Fischer -- "As the people of Azela morn the loss of another king, the heirs of the ten kingdoms are thrust into the harsh light of leadership without warning. They must now unify their nations and their forces to drive the mysterious conquerors out of their land. Several of the young rulers are already at war or enslaved as they take over, requiring a devious plan to escape. "

• If I Forget Thee, Earth: A Prayer for Earthrise, Book 5 By: Daniel Arenson, read by Bobby Garrison -- "Welcome to the alien zoo. In here, you’ll meet a variety of life from across the universe. Floating balloons of flesh from a gas giant’s storm. Sentient moss that controls golems of stone. Towering arachnids whose webs can entangle starships. And in one enclosure… humans. Us."

Posted in Release Week

Release Week: 24 December 2024

Posted on 2024-12-24 at 12:00 by Samuel Montgomery-Blinn

PICKS:

• The Third Temple By: Yishai Sarid, translated by Yardenne Greenspan, read by Josh Bloomberg for Tantor -- "In a near-future Jerusalem, harrowing omens plague the city: a desecrated altar, an unbearable stench, a rampant famine. Shaken but devout, Jonathan, the royal family's third son, continues to hold services and offer animal sacrifices at the prophesied Third Temple, built to consecrate the founding of the new Kingdom of Judah. His father, Israel's self-appointed king, has abolished the Supreme Court. The Torah is the law of the land, and only people of the Jewish faith are allowed in. When war breaks out and an angel of God begins to torment Jonathan, warning him of his father's sacrilege, the foundations of the young priest's faith—and then his world—begin to give way."

• Two-Step Devil By: Jamie Quatro, read by Christina Delaine for Highbridge -- " In 2014, in Lookout Mountain, Alabama, the Prophet—a seventy-year-old man who paints his visions—lives off the grid in a cabin near the Georgia border. While scrounging for materials at the local scrapyard, the Prophet sees a car pull up to an abandoned gas station. In the back seat is a teenage girl with zip ties on her wrists, a girl he realizes he must rescue from her current life. Her name is Michael, and the Prophet feels certain that she is a messenger sent by God to take his end-time warnings to the White House. Michael finds herself in the Prophet's remote, art-filled cabin, and as their uncertain dynamic evolves into tender friendship, she is offered a surprising opportunity to escape her past—and perhaps change her future."

• 54 Miles: A Novel By: Leonard Pitts Jr., read by the author for Tantor -- "Young Adam, who has been raised in Harlem by his white father, George, and Black mother, Thelma, goes back to his parents' home state of Alabama to participate in the voting rights campaign, only to be brutalized in the Bloody Sunday melee. He is still recovering from this when he is struck a heavy emotional blow, learning for the first time—and in the cruelest way imaginable—of a family secret that sends him spiraling and plunging further into danger. To save him, and any hope for their relationship, Thelma is drawn back, for the first time in twenty years, to the South she both hates and fears, and to a reckoning that may result in an incalculable loss."

BACKLIST WATCH:

• To Sift Through Bitter Ashes: Grails Covenant Trilogy, Book 1 By: David Niall Wilson (1997), read by Joshua Saxon for Crossroad Press -- "Obsessed with the acquiring the Holy Grail for the Lasombra clan, the vampire Montrovant sets out on a quest that leads him through the establishment of the Knights Templar, the lair of an ancient Egyptian evil, and the deserts of the Holy Land. Dark forces are pitted against him, and each ally must be watched in turn, as treachery leads to deceit and back agan in a race against time, the Church, and the mysterious Kli Kodesh, who is more ancient, even than Montrovant's sire."

SERIES WATCH:

• A Sky of Emerald Stars: The Golden Court, Book 2 By: A.K. Mulford, read by Bridget Bordeaux, Vico Ortiz for Harper -- "Continues wolf-shifter Calla’s journey and explores a new story—Sadie’s—as kingdoms clash with war on the horizon and pack politics threatens to disrupt what Calla and Grae have built, both for themselves, and Aotreas."

• Tremontaine: Book 4 By: Ellen Kushner, Tessa Gratton, Karen Lord, Mary Anne Mohanraj, Joel Derfner, Racheline Maltese, Liz Duffy Adams, and Delia Sherman, read by Sarah Mollo-Christensen and Nick Sullivan for Realm -- "Sex, Scandal, Swordplay… and Chocolate! The prequel to Ellen Kushner's cult classic Swordspoint is back for a fourth season!"

INDIE WATCH:

• This Is Not a Vampire Story by Simon Doyle, read by Nicolas McGrady -- "Seventeen-year-old Victor Callahan holds a secret as ancient as the shadows. Employed as a night porter in a quiet Irish nursing home, the teenager watches over a group of men he once knew a long time ago. Victor has orchestrated their reunion for a final farewell, a goodbye to those whose lives have shaped him through the years. But can he keep his secret from Lakeshore Manor’s oldest resident, James O’Carroll?"

• Clash of Wills: Cercians, Book 1 By: S. H. Jucha, read by Nicole Poole -- "SADEs Hector and Trixie discover the world where the colonists of the Terminus, the fifth colony ship, settled. Unfortunately, their Trident squadrons arrive at the worst possible time and catastrophe strikes. The powerful fleets of three races are fighting for possession of a beatific world, Cercia."

MOST MISSING:

• You Can't Save What Isn't There by Paul Michael Anderson (Cemetery Dance) -- "When Cal Matheson's daughter was killed by a drunk driver, he felt he'd lost everything that mattered. However, as he slowly begins to rebuild his life with a new home and a new job, he's given an inexplicable and supernatural opportunity--but is it to exact revenge on those he holds responsible for his loss in the most ghastly ways imaginable...or to fulfill his potential as an artist and human? And what is the cost of making the wrong choice?"

Posted in Release Week

Release Week: 17 December 2024

Posted on 2024-12-17 at 12:00 by Samuel Montgomery-Blinn

So, yeah, it's awfully close to crickets this time of year as far as the big publishers. Still, here's what I see this week:

PICKS:

• North Is the Night: The Tuonela Duet, Book 1 By: Emily Rath, read by Khaya Fraites, Emily Lawrence for Recorded Books -- "In the depths of the Finnish wilderness, more than wolves roam the dark woods. When a death goddess attacks their village, best friends Siiri and Aina prove helpless to stop her from dragging Aina into Tuonela, the mythical underworld. Determined to save her beloved Aina, Siiri braves a dangerous journey north, seeking help from the greatest shaman of legend—the only person ever to venture into Tuonela and return alive. There’s only one problem … the stories say he’s dead."

• 13 Park Lane By: Naomi Clifford, read by Lorna Bennett for Dreamscape -- "1872. Marguerite has fled to London, leaving behind a traumatic past in Paris. When she is offered work as a cook for mysterious French widow Madame Riel, she seizes the chance to start afresh. But as soon as Marguerite arrives, she is stifled by the tension in the house and before long she comes to resent her stingy and volatile employer, as well as her unfriendly housemaid. Just as Marguerite is about to resign, Madame Riel’s beautiful actress daughter Julie returns to the house and charms her into staying. But Julie’s presence creates new toxic waves of emotion—until someone finally snaps and murders Madame Riel. Why is 13 Park Lane so full of hatred? What secrets does the household guard? And can any of its inhabitants escape the shackles of their past?"

• Crooked Plow: A Novel by Itamar Vieira Junior (2018), translated by Johnny Lorenz, read by Soneela Nankani for Tantor -- "Deep in Brazil's neglected Bahia hinterland, two sisters find an ancient knife beneath their grandmother's bed and momentarily mystified by its power, decide to taste its metal. The shuddering violence that follows marks their lives and binds them together forever. Heralded as a new masterpiece, this fascinating and gripping story about the lives of subsistence farmers in Brazil's poorest region, three generations after the abolition of slavery, is at once fantastic and realist, covering themes of family, spirituality, slavery and its aftermath, and political struggle."

SERIES WATCH:

• A Breathless Sky: The Scorched Earth, Book 2 By: Veronica G. Henry, read by Robin Miles for Brilliance -- "As climate disasters wreak havoc, a sister and brother take opposing sides on the fate of the human race."

• The Memory Curse: The Lost God, Book 2 By: Sheila Masterson, read by Caitlin Kelly, Will Damron, and Tim Campbell for Dreamscape -- "Cecilia is mired in grief. Haunted by the lives she took when fighting the god of war and the price she paid to take them, Cecilia knows winning one battle has only postponed the greater war."

• Reckoning: Darkhurst, Book 3 By: Gail Z. Martin, read by Will Damron for Tantor -- "When Corran, Rigan, and their friends became outlaw monster hunters and fled beyond the walls of Ravenwood City, they thought they had defeated the source of the abominations that killed so many of their friends and loved ones. But the more successful they become at destroying the creatures, the more they realize that greater evil is at work."

• Legends of the Werewolf Hunter Volume 1: An Autobiography of a Werewolf Hunter Anthology edited by Miles Boothe (2021), stories by Matthew Baugh, Thom Brannan, James Cook, Derek Grebner, Rob Pegler, and more, read by Basil Sands for Spoken Realms -- "Welcome to a collection imagined from the pages of Brian P. Easton’s Autobiography of a Werewolf Hunter series, a nightmare-fueled anthology dedicated to the legends of the werewolf hunter."

BACKLIST WATCH:

• Tarzan the Magnificent: Tarzan, Book 21 By: Edgar Rice Burroughs (1936), read by Ben Dooley for Oasis -- "The half-dead American raved of an unknown city…of women warriors ruled by a malignant wizard…of a great diamond, the Gonfal, with strange hypnotic power…of a long-lost English nobleman…of the savage queen who had betrayed her duty and helped him to escape. Tarzan puts little faith into Stanley Wood’s story—until he sees the power of the Gonfal draw the American in spite of himself back into the clutches of the Amazons of Kaji. Then it is that the ape-man becomes once more the implacable hunter—for though he cares nothing for diamonds or lost civilizations, no one may be allowed to harm a man the Lord of the Jungle has taken under his protection."

NEW EDITION WATCH:

• Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said By: Philip K. Dick (1974), read by Jefferson Mays for Recorded Books -- "Jason Taverner—world-famous talk show host and man-about-town—wakes up one day to find that no one knows who he is—including the vast databases of the totalitarian government. And in a society where lack of identification is a crime, Taverner has no choice but to go on the run with a host of shady characters, including crooked cops and dealers of alien drugs. But do they know more than they are letting on? And just how can a person's identity be erased overnight?"

INDIE WATCH:

• Atoms Never Touch By: Micha Cárdenas, foreword by Adrienne Maree Brown, read by Micha Cárdenas for Tantor -- "Jumping to alternate realities sounds great, if you're in control. But what if you're not? What if you're propelled away from the people and places you love the most in the blink of an eye? And what if these involuntary journeys happen because your neurochemistry is different, and your brain works differently? Beautiful, compassionate, and resourceful as she is, this is Rea's problem. A latina trans woman and an academic, she is beloved by a tight circle of friends, who fully accept her without knowing the cause of her disappearances. But she is haunted by the lovers and family that she cannot trace back to, and fears she might be separated from them forever."

• Shadows of the Past: The Great War of the Worlds, Book 1 By: Eric Goebelbecker, read by Stuart Gauffi for Spoken Realms -- "It’s 1915, twenty years after the Martian invasion chronicled in the War of the Worlds failed. The aliens left behind advanced technology and weapons, and now humanity is on the brink of a catastrophic war. Caught in the middle of the chaos are two unlikely heroes: Emil Zimmerman, a young German soldier, and James Brogan, an introverted radio engineer. Emil dreamed of escaping his small village and making his way to the big city but finds himself in the trenches fighting for an army that indiscriminately wields deadly Martian weapons. Meanwhile, James just wants to be left alone but is pulled into a web of conspiracy when he’s called upon to repair crucial radios on Long Island."

MOST MISSING:

• Mechanize My Hands To War by Erin K. Wagner (DAW Books) — “September, 2060: Adrian Hall, acting director of the ATF, is holding a press conference. Yes, Eli Whitaker, anti-android demagogue, remains at large, and yes, he is recruiting children into his militia — Adrian is careful not to use the word army. She is careful all the way through the conference, right up until someone asks her about her personal connection to Whitaker; about Trey Caudill, his foster son. July, 2058: Farmers Shay and Ernst, struggling after they discover their GMO crop seeds have failed, hire android employees: Sarah as hospice, and AG-15 to work the now-toxic fields. Under one roof, four lives intertwine in ways no one expects. July, 2060: Special Agent Trey Caudill is leading a raid on Eli Whitaker’s farm when an android, call sign Ora, shoots and kills a child. March, 2061: Ora sits in a room. He has been there for seven months, resisting diagnostic tests. He is drawing on the walls, scratching his artificial skin, tracing something over and over and over again with a tired metallic finger. There is nothing wrong with his circuitry, so why does Ora feel so broken?”

Posted in Release Week